Chili’s holds a special place in America’s heart. It isn’t just somewhere to eat; it’s a place to belong. When it comes to championing the delicious life, Chili’s isn’t the hero we deserve; it’s the hero we need.
In 2024, a 20-plus-year-old Chili’s menu item, the Triple Dipper, went viral on TikTok overnight, as foodie influencers reignited love for its crave-worthy flavor and iconic cheese pulls. Heading into 2025, the challenge was clear: How could Chili’s sustain the momentum of this customizable appetizer platter that lets guests choose any three favorites, and keep it top of mind with Gen Z on social?
The answer came in April 2025 when Chili’s partnered with Influencer to sustain Gen Z buzz by leaning into creator-led storytelling on TikTok. Rather than promoting menu features, nine TikTok creators captured the feeling of being at Chili’s: the vibe, the laughter, and the effortless social energy that sets the brand apart in casual dining, with the Triple Dipper as the centerpiece.
The real value of the Triple Dipper isn’t the appetizer combination, it’s what the platter creates: a shared, playful, group-friendly experience. Instead of framing the content as “Let’s promote an appetizer,” Chili’s and Influencer wanted to capture the social experience of a Triple Dipper. This unlocked content rooted in emotion and story which is what TikTok actually rewards.
Chili’s shines when highlighting the social and authentic side of dining, whereas many casual dining brands often approach creator marketing like traditional media buying, for example: “Here’s the menu item,” “Say the brand name 3 times,” “Post at 6 PM on Tuesday.” These campaigns show food, but rarely show why people choose the brand in real life. The risk is that creators feel like ad space instead of collaborators, and content lands flat.
Instead of prescribing rigid talking points, Chili’s and Influencer enabled creators to build their own mini-narratives to naturally fit who they are as people and what’s engaging for their audiences. The focus was on relatable and funny slices of life that happen at Chili’s, with the Triple Dipper as the social centerpiece. Key storytelling lanes included nostalgia, humor, dating, and casual hangouts.
Nine TikTok creators were activated for the campaign and encouraged to lead with story and feeling. Their content emphasized authentic social moments versus scripted promotion. This approach treated creators as collaborators, allowing their tone and community dynamics to drive performance.
One standout creator was Kaelyn Gutierrez (@kaelyngutierrez) who leaned into a recurring series already native to her page: “Roomie Date Night.” This worked because it felt organic to her channel and TikTok culture, was playful, goofy and naturally social, integrated the Triple Dipper without promoting it, and also featured the “cheese pull.” Her content resulted in a 12.38% engagement rate, 129% over partner benchmark.
Another standout creator was Zachariah Porter (@zzzachariah). His concept centered on a universal truth: Chili’s is where friends go to gossip, laugh, and decompress. His “Chili’s and a Yap” storyline framed the Triple Dipper as the perfect companion to table-side chatter. This worked because he used humor rooted in real behavior, reinforcing Chili’s as an easy hangout destination. His content resulted in 9.42% engagement rate, 75% over partner benchmark.
The results speak for themselves. Creators kept Chili’s Triple Dipper trending year-round, translating social momentum into 23 million additional Triple Dippers sold year over year, a growth driven almost entirely by social buzz.
And by empowering creators to tell authentic, platform-native stories, the Triple Dipper campaign on TikTok achieved a 9.02% engagement rate, 1.67% greater than Chili’s campaign average. It also garnered an audience of 21.7M people, 176,133 engagements, as well as 1,323 comments, 5,116 shares, and 3,559 saves.
