It’s Just Wings station tower was removed from the BOH freeing up space for its high-growth items.
Removing 13 menu items and the prep sets that go along with them. “We’ve reinvested time in doing fewer things a whole lot better,” Hochman said. “…Fewer things to prepare, more care executing our core menu and continually upgrading ingredients is resulting in better tasting food, which is a key piece in accelerating our results.”
Removal of the It’s Just Wings station tower. The virtual brand, It’s Just Wings, is still offered. Removing the station tower frees up space and saves time on cleaning. “Removing the wing station seems small, but it has a big impact that is important to our operation, less items to prep, less equipment to clean and more free space,” Hochman explained. Now the operator has the space to dedicate to its “high-growth items” like its Triple Dippers and Crispers.
Kitchen Innovations
Recent technology investments include a kitchen display system (KDS). Replacing bulky binders filled with hundreds of pages, the new digital KDS is streamlining recipe access and reducing ticket times — even amidst dramatic increases in traffic. Simplified processes make tasks easier for team members. A recent update introduced all-day counters across three cook zones, providing cooks with better visibility during peak periods.
After three years of testing, Chili’s is expanding its use of TurboChef ovens across the enterprise, replacing its aging conveyor belt system. These ovens not only cook food faster and more evenly but also emit less heat, resulting in a more comfortable environment for employees. They free up valuable kitchen space, and simplify cleaning. Currently, between a quarter and a third of Chili’s locations have TurboChef installed, Hochman estimated.
Data Driven Enhancements
Over the last few years, Chili’s has made strides in obtaining tokenized data and is building out in-house capability to mine it, Hochman said.
Efforts are underway to eliminate friction from the redemption process of My Chili’s Rewards. Hochman emphasized the need to create a seamless, loyalty-building experience for both guests and employees.
Scaling the Playbook to Maggiano’s
Building on Chili’s momentum, Brinker International is now extending its playbook to the Maggiano’s brand. New brand leaders include Ernest Perez as VP of Maggiano’s Operations and Mike Westley as VP of Maggiano’s Marketing, bringing 14 years of Yum! Brands expertise.
Images credit: Brinker International
