Latest news with #Chili's
Daily Mirror
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Woman orders espresso martini at restaurant but is stunned by what arrives
A woman was left in hysterics after ordering an espresso martini at a restaurant - only to be served a very different version of the classic cocktail instead Many of us fancy a cheeky espresso martini while out and about. This timeless tipple, typically concocted from espresso, coffee liqueur, and vodka is famed for its creamy froth, traditionally crowned with a trio of coffee beans. But, one woman's recent encounter has taken social media by storm. Her 'dreadful' espresso martini from American restaurant chain Chili's sparked viral hysteria. Em took to X to share her cocktail calamity, whipping up quite a frenzy as the post racked up a jaw-dropping 11 million views, leaving people "wheezing" at its appearance. Gone was the anticipated creamy surface, replaced instead with an abyss of murky brown liquid, excessively sprinkled with coffee beans compared to the usual garnish. Commenters couldn't help but jest about the concoction, with one user jesting: "When I get the job after lying on my resume." Another expressed sympathy: "Nah sis they played you. That ain't no espresso martini", while someone else echoed their astonishment: "I cannot believe that is even real omg." Some even likened it to Pepsi or Coke dashed with coffee beans. Elsewhere, a commenter was so tickled they exclaimed: "I am wheezing". Em later disclosed that this peculiar take on the drink was born from a collaboration between Chili's and 'Vanderpump Rules' stars Scheana Shay and Katie Maloney. One thing is certain, if Chili's ever makes the leap to British shores, let's pray this peculiar cocktail isn't part of the package. The Espresso Martini hails from the 1980s and is frequently attributed to a London bartender called Dick Bradsell – its popularity endures years on. As the story goes, a model once approached him with a request for a beverage that would "wake her up and then f*** her up." In response, Bradsell concocted a blend of vodka, coffee liqueur, and fresh espresso, birthing the now-iconic Espresso Martini.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Applebee's restaurant in Sarasota just closed — same day a local Chili's shuttered
While one last basket of razor-thin, heavily salted tortilla chips and red salsa was being served at the Chili's on South Tamiami Trail in Sarasota, someone eight miles away at the Applebee's on University Parkway was digging into their final order of boneless wings glazed in that sweet and tangy honey barbecue sauce. Yes, two titans of the American restaurant chain world shuttered Sarasota-Manatee locations this week. As previously reported, the Chili's Bar & Grill near Trader Joe's permanently closed Monday, May 19. The Herald-Tribune has since confirmed that the Applebee's Neighborhood Grill + Bar at 3255 University Parkway also closed for good that same day, according to a guest relations specialist who verified the news on Tuesday, May 20. After nearly 40 years, a Sarasota Chili's restaurant has closed Ticket Newsletter: Sign up to receive restaurant news, reviews, and fun things to do every Friday The Applebee's guest relations specialist declined to provide a reason for the closure or comment on what it might mean for the restaurant chain's other nearby locations. However, the Applebee's website shows that several Sarasota-Manatee locations remain open, including: 5550 Fruitville Road, Sarasota 5490 Clark Road, Sarasota 4329 S. Tamiami Trail, Venice 4301 Cortez Road, Bradenton 4638 State Road 64 E., Bradenton 5908 18th St. E., Ellenton 17500 Tamiami Trail, North Port Nearly a decade ago, Applebee's closed its most prominent Sarasota location — the one downtown in the Sarasota Main Plaza, adjacent to the movie theater on Main Street. Sarasota Main Plaza opened in 1997 with Applebee's — at 1991 Main St. — as one of its original restaurants. Today, the spot is occupied by the high-end apartment complex Aster & Links, with the movie theater still operating next door. Chili's Grill & Bar was founded in Texas in 1975 and is currently owned and operated by Dallas-based Brinker International. The Chili's that recently closed at 4131 S. Tamiami Trail in Sarasota opened in the mid-1980s, while the Applebee's that closed this week at 3255 University Parkway in Manatee County was open since at least 1999, when it first appears in Herald-Tribune archives. Applebee's was founded in 1980 in Atlanta. There's no indication that these Sarasota-Manatee Applebee's and Chili's closures are part of a companywide initiative by the respective chains — just isolated incidents that happened to occur eight miles apart. Contributing: Jimmy Geurts, Sarasota Herald-Tribune Wade Tatangelo is Ticket Editor for the Sarasota Herald-Tribune and Florida Regional Dining and Entertainment Editor for the USA TODAY Network. Follow him on Facebook, Instagram, and X. He can be reached by email at Support local journalism by subscribing. This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Applebee's restaurant in Sarasota just closed — here's what we know
Miami Herald
23-05-2025
- Business
- Miami Herald
Beloved sports bar chain quietly closes multiple restaurants
The sports bar space has become incredibly challenging because it's wildly crowded. You have national players like Buffalo Wild Wings which run massive advertising campaigns that make them the default choice for many players. In addition, there are regional favorites like Miller's Ale House, Duffy's, and countless others that offer quality food and an excellent sports experience. Related: Beloved taco brand making post-Chapter 11 bankruptcy return Duffy's, a Florida-based chain, even offers 2-for-1 drinks. That seems like it should not be legal (and it probably isn't in some states) but it's allowed in Florida and offering that all-day promotion has proven to be a major draw for the chain. In addition to chains that define themselves as sports bars, you also have players including Chili's and Applebee's. These restaurants are not exactly sports bars, but they offer a sports-friendly menu and plenty of televisions. Don't miss the move: Subscribe to TheStreet's free daily newsletter Both of these chains have also recently leaned heavily into value. That has worked incredibly well for Chili's which has seen sales surge. Applebee's has recently brought back its popular all-you-can-ear promotion and offers really cheap drinks. Neither brand offers anyone's favorite food, but they have menus filled with comfort food favorites that most people like well enough. A riblet may not be your first choice, but make them all-you-can eat and throw in a cheap beer or mixed drink and you have an offer that's hard to compete with. Walk-Ons takes the classic sports bar and democratizes it while adding a Cajun flair to the menu. Instead of being built around star athletes, it's a tribute to the last guys on the bench. "Our love for the game, community, and bringing the heart of a walk-on to the restaurant space began with the dreams of our Founder, Brandon Landry and his partner, Jack Warner, in 2003. We've worked hard over the years to create a restaurant and bar concept that pairs attention-to-detail and culinary excellence with a little Louisiana spice, pulling in that underdog mindset and hospitality, making you feel like family the moment you walk in," the company shared on its website. Much like they did as athletes, the founding duo built the brand without much support. These weren't scholarship players or trust fund babies, these are two partners who scrapped and hustled. More Food + Dining: Domino's Pizza unveils generous deal amid alarming consumer trendSteak 'n Shake's beef tallow fries aren't as healthy as they appearThe Cheesecake Factory makes bittersweet changes to its menu "Despite having little business experience and a lack of financial support, Brandon and Jack took what they learned on-court – hard work, dedication, and the commitment to excellence, and put it into a restaurant vision. Their passion to create a concept built on culture and inclusivity pushed their dream into a reality when on September 9, 2003, Walk-On's Bistreaux & Bar opened for business, right next to their homecourt – LSU's Tiger Stadium," the company added, Walk-On's has mostly been a success. The chain had over 80 locations in 14 states, but it has also closed a number of locations over the past couple of years. As a private company, Walk-On's does not share any financial information publicly. The company celebrates new openings on its website, but does not mention its many closures. Its location in Kissimmee, Florida, for example, opening in 2024 and closed less than a year later. That location was near a thriving Miller's Ale House, a busy Chili's, and a Hooters that has remained open despite the chain's struggles. The Walk-Ons had a lot of competition in that area which contains thousands of hotel rooms and rental properties serving the Orlando theme parks. It's common for most casual eateries in that area to have a waitlist even on weeknights. A number of other Walk-On's locations have also closed, according to data from Google. Waco, Texas: The Waco location closed on May 3, 2025, with no specific reason provided for the closure. Opelika, Alabama: The Opelika location closed on February 3, 2025, due to low sales. Fayetteville, North Carolina: The Fayetteville location on Skibo Road closed on May 8, 2024,Bristol, Tennessee: The Bristol location closed on February 3, 2025, with the restaurant chain confirming the permanent closure. Wilmington, North Carolina: The Wilmington location closed on May 28, 2024, with some reports indicating that employees were not paid on time leading up to the closure. Myrtle Beach, South Carolina: Several locations in the Myrtle Beach area also closed permanently, with the last one closing on November 4, 2024. Broussard, Louisiana: The Broussard location closed on February 3, 2025. Despite its select struggles, Walk-On's has continued to open locations during the period these (and perhaps other) locations have closed. The chain opened a new location in March. Related: McDonald's announces major store change to win back customers "Walk-On's Sports Bistreaux is excited to announce the official grand opening of its newest location in Southaven, MS. The celebration took place on Monday, March 17, 2025, at 6715 Snowden Lane, Southaven, MS, 38672 and featured a series of exciting festivities that highlighted Walk-On's commitment to the community," it shared on its website. The chain also remodeled an Atlanta sports bar into a Walk-On's in January. The Arena Media Brands, LLC THESTREET is a registered trademark of TheStreet, Inc.
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
The restaurant industry's Q1 2025 winners and losers
This story was originally published on Restaurant Dive. To receive daily news and insights, subscribe to our free daily Restaurant Dive newsletter. Weather and a pullback in consumer spending made Q1 2025 one of the worst quarters for restaurant chains in recent years, with brands like Wendy's, Burger King, Popeyes and Sweetgreen all posting negative same-store sales growth. Companies continued to focus on their value propositions with McDonald's rolling out its much-anticipated McValue menu in January and Chili's increasing advertising for its 3 for Me deal to better compete with QSRs. Most of last quarter's winners were not surprising; Chili's, Cava and Taco Bell continued to outperform their peers. The quarter did reveal some surprises like a rare decline in sales and traffic at Chipotle and an uptick in sales at Noodles & Company following a menu overhaul. Restaurant Dive identified winning and losing brands from publicly traded restaurant firms, based largely on same-store sales performance and the sense of momentum conveyed by earnings calls and analyst research notes. Chili's had another stellar quarter of over 30% same-store sales growth and 21% comparable traffic growth, making it a clear winner in the casual segment and the restaurant industry as a whole. The company attributed its traffic growth to operational improvements and to its advertising strategy, which has largely focused on its value proposition compared to QSR chains by emphasizing the $10.99 starting point of its 3 For Meal deal. One of its recent campaigns spoofed a payday lender to help guests cover the cost of a fast food combo meal. Operational improvements, including a new kitchen display system, helped the chain improve ticket times even as traffic surged dramatically. The KDS allows chefs to easily reference recipes instead of using hundreds of pages of reference finders. It is also upgrading equipment, such as converting to a TurboChef double batch oven from a conveyor belt oven system. Cava was the clear winner among fast casual chains and was one of the few restaurant brands to post double-digit growth during the quarter. Cava's CFO Tricia Tolivar attributed the chain's ongoing traffic and sales success to the appeal of Mediterranean cuisine and the chain's long-term strategy of keeping prices below inflation. Additionally, the chain is seeing a boost in guest engagement after changing its loyalty program to a point-based system in October. Last quarter it added 50,000 members per week, and is now approaching 8 million total members. Analyst TD Cowen believes Cava could outperform the industry this year and is on a path to reach 1,200 units by 2033, given its dominance in the underrepresented Mediterranean category. With a comparable sales increase of 4.4%, Noodles & Company posted its strongest results since Q1 2023, when comps were up over 6%. CEO Drew Madsen credited the company's menu refresh and an increase in marketing for the boost. The chain rolled out nine new and refreshed items in March several months after it added three dishes in October, as part of a turnaround strategy. A significant push in marketing, including redefining its brand strategy, emphasizing its expertise with noodles, and creating new activations across multiple media channels helped boost brand awareness, as well. The Mexican fast food chain continued to outperform its peers with a 9% increase in same-stores sales during the quarter, one percentage point higher than previous expectations. The chain, which had $2.2 million average unit volumes last year, is targeting an AUV of $3 million as part of the Relentlessly Innovative Next-Generation Growth plan it shared during the first quarter. One way Taco Bell stayed ahead of its peers was through ongoing menu innovation and LTOs, including Crispy Chicken Nuggets, Milk Bar Churros, Cheesy Dipping Burritos and Steak and Queso Crunchwrap Sliders, all of which helped boost sales. The expansion of its Luxe Cravings Box, with the addition of $5 and $9 price points, helped bring in low-income consumers. Dutch Bros posted strong system same-shop sales of 4.7% and transactions of 1.3% during the quarter, maintaining its momentum over its closest public company competitor Starbucks, which continues to suffer a sales and traffic slump. Dutch Bros' company-owned same-store sales and transactions rose higher than the system average with an increase of 6.9% and 3.7%, respectively, according to an earnings release. About 72% of its system transactions came through its loyalty program, a five-point improvement compared to the same period last year, Christine Barone, Dutch Bros CEO, said during the chain's earnings call. Its mobile order ahead channel, which launched in 2024, represented 11% of transaction mix, a three-point improvement from the fourth quarter, she said. In many of its new markets, Order Ahead is seeing transaction penetration rates nearly two times higher than the system average. The coffee chain is also in the midst of testing food to help boost incrementality during the morning and increase frequency. That test was expanded from eight to 32 units as the chain works toward a broader test and eventual rollout in 2026. During the first quarter, the chain also surpassed 1,000 units, reaching 1,012 units compared to 876 in the year-ago quarter, according to an earnings release. It is now on a path to reach 2,029 units by 2029 and said its total addressable market is over 7,000 potential units compared to a previous estimate of 4,000 units. McDonald's saw a pullback not just among low-income households, but also middle-income families during the quarter, contributing to a 3.6% decline in same-store sales in the U.S. This decrease also marked the chain's steepest decline in same-store sales since Q2 2020, when it declined 8.7%. While traffic and sales were anemic last quarter, the chain could move into the winners column later this year as the impact of its value menu takes hold — it was only released in January — and as its sees traffic boosts from popular promotions, like its Minecraft Movie deal, and the May launch of McCrispy Chicken Strips. The chain, which has been in the winner category for several quarters, posted a traffic and sales decline amid the consumer spending slowdown. Chipotle could bump back into the winner category later this year as management expects comparable sales growth in the low to mid-single digit range. If economic conditions don't change, however, those projections might be optimistic — negative traffic trends continued into April. The chain has a few tricks up its sleeve that could help drive traffic, like its Chipotle Honey Chicken LTO that launched in March and had a strong start. It also plans to ramp up marketing spend for the summer to help drive guest engagement. All three of the top publicly traded pizza chains posted negative comparable sales during the first quarter, with Domino's breaking its 10-quarter streak of same-store sales growth. Domino's has been growing its third-party delivery channel, adding DoorDash as a provider in April alongside its existing partnership with Uber Eats. The company expects third-party delivery to become a $1 billion business over time. Pizza Hut posted the biggest decline of 5% amid a tough competitive environment. It will continue to lean into product innovation and group occasions after its Stuffed Crust and Wings promotion and Ultimate Hut bundle increased check and brought in new guests. Papa Johns also had a weak quarter, with a 3% decline, despite CEO Todd Penegor's refocus on the chain's core pizza products. The company did sell 4% more pizzas in the quarter, alongside sequential improvement with multiple pizzas since Q1 2024, Penegor said during an earnings call. It also removed underperforming SKUs from its menu and continued to simplify its menu. Given the turnaround strategy has only been in effect since late last year, it could be a matter of time before Papa Johns ends up back in positive comparable traffic and sales. Recommended Reading The restaurant industry's Q4 2024 winners and losers Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
New York Post
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Post
Beastie Boys, UMG settle lawsuits against Chili's over ‘Sabotage' ads
Beastie Boys and Universal Music Group settled lawsuits accusing the parent of Chili's of using the legendary rap trio's 1994 song 'Sabotage' without permission in social media ads to promote the restaurant chain. Settlement notices were posted on Wednesday in Manhattan federal court and Dallas federal court, where Beastie Boys and UMG filed their respective cases against Chili's parent Brinker International. Terms were not disclosed. 3 Musicians Adam Horovitz, Mike Diamond and Adam Yauch of the Beastie Boys arrive at the 11th Annual Webby Awards at Chipriani Wall Street June 5, 2007 in New York City. Getty Images Advertisement Lawyers for Beastie Boys, UMG and Brinker did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Thursday. 'Sabotage' was a single from Beastie Boys' album 'Ill Communication.' It drew additional notice from its Spike Jonze-directed music video, a parody of 1970s TV police dramas. Beastie Boys objected to a Chili's video that they said included significant portions of 'Sabotage' and echoed the actual 'Sabotage' video. Advertisement 3 Beastie Boys and UMG are accusing Chili's of using their song 'Sabotage' without permission. REUTERS The video included 'three characters wearing obvious 70s-style wigs, fake mustaches, and sunglasses who were intended to evoke the three members of Beastie Boys,' according to the complaint. Beastie Boys said they do not license their intellectual property to third parties to advertise products, and late founding member Adam 'MCA' Yauch forbade such use in his will. The trio's members also included Adam 'Ad-Rock' Horovitz and Michael 'Mike D' Diamond. Advertisement 3 Beastie Boys said they do not license their intellectual property to third parties to advertise products. WireImage Founded in 1981 in New York City, Beastie Boys were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in April 2012, less than one month before Yauch died. In June 2014, Beastie Boys won a $1.7 million jury verdict, opens new tab against energy drink maker Monster Beverage over a YouTube video that included a remix of its songs, including 'Sabotage'. Advertisement As of March 26, Dallas-based Brinker owned, operated or franchised 1,573 Chili's and 53 Maggiano's Little Italy restaurants. The cases are Beastie Boys et al v Brinker International Inc, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, No. 24-05221; and UMG Recordings Inc et al v Brinker International Inc et al, U.S. District Court, Northern District of Texas, No. 24-02535.
