Chili’s 2 for $25 Meal Is Your Answer to Food Choice Fatigue | Eater
"Known for a dependable, no-frills dining experience centered on its long-running 2 for $25 promotion, which delivers an appetizer, two entrées, and a dessert for a budget-friendly price (with optional upgrades, e.g., a 10-ounce sirloin in place of the standard 6-ounce) and the option to add cocktails. The menu leans familiar — chicken crispers (a tempura-style battered chicken tender), a reliably cooked six-ounce sirloin, and comfort sides such as loaded mashed potatoes with cheese and bacon — and desserts are limited to a slice of cheesecake or a large skillet-baked chocolate chip cookie topped with a puck of pre-packaged vanilla ice cream. Practical conveniences include in-restaurant dining, curbside pickup with careful fajita packaging that keeps tortillas from getting soggy, and wide availability via delivery apps; the chain’s consistency and lack of pretension make it a go-to when decision fatigue or “hanger” sets in. Founded in Dallas in 1975 and once instrumental in popularizing Tex‑Mex beyond Texas — expanding to countries like Morocco and Costa Rica and producing an iconic late‑1990s jingle — the brand has weathered changing tastes and even saw stable or improved sales through the pandemic, trading glamour for utilitarian comfort." - Amy McCarthy
