Chili’s is joining the ranks in the ongoing chicken sandwich wars and taking a direct shot at McDonald’s with a new lineup of chicken sandwiches.
The fast-casual dining chain — which has seen quite the comeback recently — announced Big Crispy Chicken as the latest addition to its $10.99 “3 for Me” value menu (a combo that includes an entrée, fries, bottomless chips and salsa, and an unlimited fountain drink).
In the latest wave of value menu deals from big fast-food names like McDonald’s, Subway, and Wendy’s, Chili’s is making a move to remind everyone who the OG of value deals really is.
“Over the past few years, we’ve exposed the fast food shrinkflation by serving our massive burgers in the industry-leading $10.99 3 For Me meal for a value that can’t be found in the drive-thru,” said George Felix, Chili’s Chief Marketing Officer. “Now, we’re setting our sights on fast food chicken sandwiches, offering our gigantic Big Crispy and Spicy Big Crispy chicken sandwiches in the same 3 For Me value meal. This is a shakeup to the chicken sandwich category that is long overdue, and one that our guests are going to love.”
The Big Crispy itself is a hand-battered chicken breast sandwich, and it comes in six variations: classic, spicy, honey-chipotle, Nashville hot, Buffalo, and a loaded “deluxe” with bacon and Swiss. The original and spicy versions are the ones folded into the $10.99 deal.
But Chili’s is also going a step further and calling out the increasingly familiar feeling that you’re paying more and getting less, colloquially known as shrinkflation.
And it’s not being subtle about who it’s talking to. In announcing the new sandwiches, the chain straight-up compared its Big Crispy to McDonald’s McCrispy, saying its version is “WAY bigger.”
“How much bigger is WAY bigger? Chili’s found in a local study that the average Big Crispy filet was over 80% bigger than the average McCrispy breaded filet,” the company wrote in the statement. Eat your heart out MickeyD.
This isn’t Chili’s first time poking at fast food either. The brand has been leaning hard into the “you’re not actually getting a deal over there” messaging for a while now, especially as prices at chains like McDonald’s, Wendy’s, and Subway keep creeping up.
And to really hammer it home, Chili’s staged a literal “trial” in New York, where customers act as the jury in a mock case of Chili’s vs. fast food, sampling the sandwich and deciding which side wins.
It’s a bit theatrical, sure, but the point lands. Value menus aren’t what they used to be, and Chili’s is betting people have noticed.
