2025 Brings Changes To Chili's

For decades, Chili's has been a go-to place for friends and families looking for good food, a friendly atmosphere, and a relaxed time. This year, the restaurant chain is shaking things up with three notable changes in food and fun. After the rise, fall, and resurgence of Chili's, it comes as no surprise that there are new and noteworthy happenings in store. 

Regarding menu items, Chili's is giving fajitas a fresh spin, so you might find some new twists on your old favorites the next time you stop in for dinner. Also, the chain is stepping (or, in this case, driving) into the world of sports, teaming up with NASCAR. So, expect to see Chili's at the races. Behind the scenes, Chili's is upgrading all its kitchens with Turbo Chef ovens, designed to make cooking faster and improve quality.

Read on for more details on these exciting changes for 2025, giving you even more reasons to stop by your local Chili's — not that you need any!

Let's start with the much-anticipated upgrade to Chili's signature fajitas. The restaurant chain is putting extra focus on enhancing the flavor, presentation, and overall experience of this classic dish with Tex-Mex origins. To achieve this, Chili's is adjusting its cooking methods to ensure that every order of fajitas arrives at the table with a steamy sizzle, which can sometimes be inconsistent. With a bustling kitchen, getting all those sizzling skillets out to the tables in time can be a challenge. 

By refining the fajita preparation process, Chili's aims to bring back that iconic sizzling sound and mouthwatering aroma that customers expect when their fajitas hit the table. This improvement is part of the chain's effort to elevate its core menu items and ensure guests enjoy both the taste and experience that Chili's is best known for. Chili's did not explain in detail how it plans to get this fajita upgrade in full motion, so we'll have to wait and see if it's a sizzling success. Considering the original menu was tiny, the changes over the years have shown Chili's innovation and commitment to delicious food.

Ready. Set. Go! Another notable change for Chili's in 2025 involves a marketing push through NASCAR. The restaurant chain is expanding its presence in the exciting world of racecar driving as part of a larger effort to connect with a broader audience. By increasing its involvement with NASCAR, Chili's is tapping into the sport's passionate fan base, which aligns with its goal of boosting brand visibility and driving customer engagement. This partnership is expected to include prominent branding at NASCAR events and potentially special promotions to draw in hungry and celebratory race-day crowds. 

With NASCAR's widespread appeal and large, dedicated following, this move reflects Chili's innovative strategy to strengthen its connection with guests while capitalizing on the thrill of motorsports. Fans of both Chili's and NASCAR can look forward to seeing the chain take a more prominent role in racing in 2025. 

Chili's is also significantly upgrading its kitchen equipment in 2025 by introducing Turbo Chef ovens across all its locations. These high-speed modern ovens use advanced cooking methods to prepare food faster than traditional ovens. According to Chili's CEO Kevin Hochman, "The majority of our system uses conveyor-belt ovens that cook a variety of menu items like ribs, chicken, and quesadillas."

By switching to Turbo Chefs, which are already in use in some Chili's locations, the restaurant chain aims to improve cooking efficiency while maintaining food quality. This upgrade is expected to reduce wait times and help Chili's meet customer demand more effectively during busy hours like lunchtime and weekend dinners. With faster and more consistent cooking results, implementing Turbo Chefs at all Chili's locations will play a key role in enhancing the overall dining experience at Chili's in the year ahead. There will likely be more changes coming to Chili's this year and beyond. Stay tuned!