Chili's just cut dozens of items from its menu — here are the beloved dishes that didn't make it
Chili's just made some major menu cuts.
The casual dining chain has cut 40% of items from its menu as of Monday, September 18. According to Chili's, it's ditching trendy items in favor of classics: burgers, ribs, and fajitas.
Chili's released its new menu on Monday, and it has some very noticeable changes.
"Every dish that's taken off has somebody who likes it out there," Steve Provost, Chili's chief marketing officer, said in a call with reporters on Monday. "But we think we're at a moment with this category, with the tremendous headwinds it's facing, where less is truly more."
Instead of quietly shifting to the new menu, Chili's is launching an ad campaign that highlights what items have been cut. The chain will also publish the recipes of the most popular cut items on Pinterest.
Here are the Chili's items that are disappearing from the menu:
"Fresh Mex"
(Chili's)
According to Provost, the "vast majority" of the items being cut are "Fresh Mex" menu items that the chain added in recent years.
"While we were chasing new platforms, we were losing our credibility on what built us," or burgers, ribs, and fajitas, Provost said.
Here are the Fresh Mex items being cut from the menu:
Southwestern Mac & Cheese
Chipotle Chicken Flatbread
Southwest Chicken Soup
Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas
Spicy Pasilla Chile Chicken
Spicy Shrimp Tacos
Smothered Chicken Burrito
Smoked Chicken Quesadillas
Smothered Carnitas Burrito
Carnitas Fajitas
Creamy Jalapeno Wings
Chicken Enchiladas
Loaded White Queso
Pork Carnitas Tacos
Prime Rib Fresh Mex Bowl
Prime Rib Fajitas
Prime Rib Tacos
Dishes trying too hard to be trendy
(Chili's)
Provost and Chili's president Kelli Valade said that Chili's spent too much time chasing consumer trends in the past. Trendy items being cut include:
Mango Chile Tilapia
Buffalo Fried Cauliflower
Ancho-crusted Steak
Honey Chipotle Shrimp Steak
Margherita Salad
Crispy Asparagus
Margarita Chicken Bowl
Margarita Chicken Flatbread Salad
Simply unremarkable
(Chili's)
Then, there are items that simply weren't that compelling to customers. Other menu items that didn't make the cut include:
Turkey Sandwich
Triple Berry Crumble Cake
Grilled Chicken Sandwich
Triple Berry Margarita
Grass Fed Burger
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