Brinker International promotes Chili’s CMO George Felix to oversee marketing for both Chili’s and Maggiano’s as the company looks to revive the latter brand.
Brinker International has promoted Chili’s Chief Marketing Officer George Felix to executive vice president and chief marketing officer for the broader company, expanding his responsibilities to include marketing for both Chili’s and Maggiano’s Little Italy.
In his new role, Felix will lead brand strategy across the restaurant group while supporting a “Back to Maggiano’s” initiative to sharpen the Italian chain’s positioning and execution. He will continue reporting to Brinker’s chief executive and president, Kevin Hochman.
Felix joined Chili’s in 2022 from the dating app Tinder and has since helped reposition the casual dining chain with a marketing strategy centered on value. Rather than competing primarily with other sit-down restaurants, the brand has targeted fast-food rivals by emphasizing price comparisons and menu deals.
The approach has resonated with consumers grappling with higher food prices, helping Chili’s gain market share at a time when many restaurant chains have struggled with declining traffic.
Brinker said its market capitalization has risen from about $1.3 billion to $6.25 billion during Felix’s tenure.
“George has proven that when you deeply understand your guests and stay relentlessly focused on what makes a brand special, extraordinary results follow,” Hochman said in a statement. “His leadership has helped make Chili’s more relevant than ever.”
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Turning to Maggiano’s
Brinker now hopes Felix can bring a similar strategy to Maggiano’s, which has lagged behind its sister brand in recent performance.
While Chili’s comparable sales rose 8.6% year over year in Brinker’s fiscal second quarter, Maggiano’s sales declined 2.4% during the same period ending Dec. 24.
The company’s “Back to Maggiano’s” strategy is intended to refresh the brand’s food offerings, service model and restaurant atmosphere.
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Marketing Beyond Advertising
Felix has also emphasized a broader view of marketing’s role within a business.
At Chili’s, campaigns around popular menu items — including the chain’s Triple Dipper appetizer — have blended experiential marketing with viral social media strategies to drive attention and traffic.
But Felix argues marketing leaders should play a role beyond advertising alone.
“The more marketers are willing to stretch beyond traditional marketing and get involved in the broader business and operations, the better,” Felix said during a fireside chat at Marketing Dive’s CMO Summit last week.
“Great operations are the best return on investment marketing can have,” he added.
As marketers become more embedded across an organization, Felix said, they can play a more central role in shaping brand growth and long-term strategy.
