Chili's is opening a retro restaurant in Scranton that celebrates ‘The Office'
The popular chain is opening a restaurant in the Pennsylvania city on April 7, nearly 20 years after the famous episode of 'The Office' aired where employees from Dunder Mifflin celebrated the Dundies awards. The NBC show premiered this week in 2005.
This is Chili's first location in the show's setting of Scranton, despite several memorable appearances in 'The Office.' The newly built restaurant pays homage to the chain's 'most notable on-screen moments, with throwback nods and decor,' according to a press release.
The restaurant is adorned with chalk art murals that were once a mainstay of Chili's restaurants in the early 2000s, with the brand tapping the original artist to recreate them. Colorful tile tables are also making a comeback along with the Awesome Blossom onion appetizer, which was pulled from menus in 2008.
Chili's has also enlisted several actors from 'The Office' to star in the ads, including Melora Hardin (Jan Levinson), Andy Buckley (David Wallace), Brian Baumgartner (Kevin Malone) and Kate Flannery (Meredith Palmer).
The campaign also taps into nostalgia, with Hardin being serenaded to Chili's classic 'Baby Back Ribs' jingle in a booth celebrating the Awesome Blossom.
Another ad features Flannery stealing a 'Scranton Margarita,' which the chain will sell for $5 nationwide for one day only on April 7 to celebrate the opening of the Scranton branch.
Just like Dunder Mifflin employees can't get enough of Chili's, most of America appears to feel the same way.
Sales at restaurants open for at least a year increased a whopping 31% last quarter, marking Chili's third-straight quarter of double-digit sales growth.
Once falling behind flashier restaurants, Chili's is pulling off its comeback thanks to upgraded French fry and chicken tender recipes, fast food-like deals and viral TikTok videos of customers pulling apart its gooey mozzarella sticks.
Chili's 'Triple Dipper' platter has also blown up on TikTok, which lets customers choose from three appetizers — mozzarella sticks, southwestern egg rolls and chicken wings — for under $20. The platter had been around for decades, but Chili's started advertising it prominently on social media last year.
Nostalgia has also helped the chain. In 2023, Chili's brought back its 'I want my baby back, baby back, baby back…ribs' jingle for an ad campaign promoting the dish, which has been a staple of the its menu since the late 1980s.
Shares of owner Brinker International (EAT) has soared more than 230% over the past year because of Chili's success. The company hopes to replicate that magic at Maggiano's Little Italy, recently giving its menu a makeover led by a Michelin-starred chef.
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