DALLAS Is Cupid helping to save the restaurant industry?
Brinker International Inc. said Wednesday that half of its 1,400 Chili’s Grill & Bar restaurants experienced their biggest sales days ever on Saturday, Feb. 14, as customers celebrated Valentine’s Day.
The company said it benefited as it watched couples “forgo upscale, pricey restaurants and instead spent the holiday eating at places with more affordable fare.”
The company said Chili's serves about 750,000 guests on an average Saturday. On Feb. 14, more than 1 million guests were served. Most Chili's restaurants nationwide were up in same-store sales and guest counts, and the majority of those were up by double digits, the company said.
Todd Diener, president of Chili’s Grill & Bar, said: “Our focus on delivering flavorful food and genuine hospitality positions us well to weather the economic downturn.”
Valentine’s Day is also typically the highest annual sales day for Chili's To Go service, and the company said this year to-go sales were up more than 65 percent than on a typical Saturday.
Contact Ron Ruggless at [email protected].