How a Viral TikTok Appetizer Caused Chili's Sales to Spike

Chili’s is currently seeing a spike in sales even as we’re living in a time when many fast food and fast casual restaurants are struggling to lure customers in the door. And the company has an appetizer combo that has gone viral on TikTok to thank for it.

The Triple Dipper, as it’s called, comes with a variety of customizable options that customers can choose from, including boneless and bone-in wings, sliders, chicken tenders, mozzarella sticks, and egg rolls; as well as three sauces. And although it’s been around for at least a few years now, the appetizer platter recently blew up on TikTok, where there are around 150 million posts dedicated to the fan-favorite dish. 

In one popular video, food influencer Irene Kim tried the combo with the chain’s Honey-Chipotle Chicken Crispers, Big Mouth Bites, and all-new Nashville Hot Mozz sticks with three sides of ranch. “Is Chili’s Triple Dipper worth it?” Kim asks at the beginning of the video, showing off the meal she paid under $20 for.

“Now that’s what I call a cheese pull,” she said, after taking a bite of the spicy mozzarella stick. “This is a banging meal, and for $16, worth it,” she says at the end of the video.

@ireneykim

I FEAR CHILI’S ATE WHEN THEY MADE THE TRIPLE DIPPER @Chili’s Grill & Bar #chilis #chilisbarandgrill #chilistripledipper #tripledipper #chickentenders #mozzarellasticks #chilisreview #chilisrestaurant #mukbang #foodreview #creatorsearchinsights

♬ original sound – irene kim 🧸

And clearly, she’s not the only one who thinks so. Speaking with industry analysts last month, Chili’s CEO Kevin Hochman said that Triple Dipper sales have skyrocketed 70 percent over the last year and now makes up 11 percent of the chain’s over business, per Fast Company. The popularity of the platter has also contributed to a 14.1 percent increase in Chili’s same-store sales growth for the quarter that ended on Sept. 25, as well as a 6 percent traffic increase.

Hochman attributes the success of the promotion to being “very relevant with younger guests and how they prefer to eat.” He added: “The success that we’ve had in the business has certainly opened up additional opportunities to deploy capital.”

In fact, despite difficulties in recent years with rising costs and customer traffic, the success of the Triple Dipper also contributed to Chili’s raising its revenue forecast from $4.55 billion–$4.62 billion up to a higher $4.7 billion-$4.75 billion. And it’s all thanks to fried food and social media.