US Trends

who owns chilis

Chili’s Grill & Bar is owned by Brinker International, Inc., a Dallas- based restaurant company that owns, operates, or franchises the Chili’s and Maggiano’s Little Italy chains worldwide. Chili’s itself was founded by Larry Lavine in 1975 and later sold to restaurant executive Norman E. Brinker, whose company ultimately became Brinker International.

Who owns Chili’s right now?

  • The Chili’s Grill & Bar brand is currently owned and operated by Brinker International, Inc.
  • Brinker controls more than 1,600 restaurants globally under the Chili’s and Maggiano’s Little Italy names, through a mix of company-owned and franchised locations.

So when asking “who owns Chili’s,” the direct answer is: Brinker International, Inc., a publicly traded U.S. restaurant company headquartered in Dallas, Texas.

Quick brand history

  • Chili’s was created by restaurant founder Larry Lavine in Texas in 1975 as a casual, chili-focused concept.
  • In 1983, Lavine sold Chili’s to Norman E. Brinker, a restaurant industry figure who expanded the chain and took it public.

This transition is what connected the Chili’s name to the Brinker International corporate umbrella that owns it today.

Parent company snapshot

  • Brinker International is one of the major casual-dining restaurant groups, best known for Chili’s and Maggiano’s Little Italy.
  • The company owns, operates, or franchises over 1,600 locations in around 30 countries and U.S. territories combined.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.