1. Chili’s menu lapse
Curse you, temptation! As Chili’s acknowledged last week, success seduced the chain into moving far beyond its beginnings in 1975 as a leading proponent of what was then known as the gourmet burger segment.
The menu back then consisted of 25 items, with a focus on burgers, margaritas and then-novel fajitas, the chain pointed out. But “Chili’s chased consumer trends, expanded the menu and tried to be all things to all guests, therefore compromising execution and resulting in a fuzzy food reputation,” it 'fessed up, validating what anyone with a month of experience in the business could have told them.
Now the chain is cutting about 50 items, presumably even the cauliflower that somehow crept onto the menu. In a week, the bill of fare will be hacked to 75 core items, with an emphasis on burgers, fajitas and ribs.