Pepper in Some New Guiltless Eats!

Chili's Grill & Bar
Published: February 10th, 2009

Chili'S Debuts Four Guiltless Grill(R) Menu Items With No More Than 750 Calories

Dallas, // PRNewswire // -- Feeling like you have to sacrifice your New Year's Resolution when dining out? You're not alone. A national survey commissioned by Chili's and conducted by Harris Interactive(R) found that 1 in 5 adults have already broken their New Year's Resolutions.

What's more, among adults who broke their resolutions, 75 percent broke their resolutions about weight, health and exercise and over two thirds feel negatively (guilty, unhappy, ashamed or embarrassed) about it. While breaking the New Year's Resolution to live a healthier lifestyle is very common, finding a restaurant with a variety of menu items is not. According to the survey, 79 percent agree with the statement, "I wish restaurants offered a larger number of healthier menu options."

Chili's Grill & Bar is serving up solutions with its new Guiltless Grill(R) menu items, making New Year's Resolution goals much easier to achieve. By adding the Guiltless Buffalo Chicken Sandwich, Guiltless Cedar Plank Tilapia, Guiltless Carne Asada Steak and Guiltless Honey Mustard Glazed Salmon, Chili's will offer its guests healthier menu options and delicious choices for 750 calories or less.

"Choices when dining out have become increasingly important to Americans and our Guiltless Grill(R) menu items will give guests more options when dining in our restaurants," said Todd Diener, president of Chili's Grill & Bar, "Chili's wants to show our guests they can enjoy menu items with fewer calories and lower fat without sacrificing flavor."

The new Guiltless Grill menu options offer a healthier take on the Southwestern-inspired, flavor profile that has made Chili's a crowd favorite. Guiltless Grill menu items are served with a side of steamed seasonal veggies with parmesan cheese. Guiltless Grill menu items include:

• The New Guiltless Buffalo Chicken Sandwich is a grilled chicken breast tossed in our traditional Buffalo spicy wing sauce and topped with low-fat Ranch, shredded lettuce, tomato and sauteed onions, served on a whole wheat bun.
• The New Guiltless Cedar Plank Tilapia is a seasoned tilapia fillet tossed with house-made pico de gallo and a lime wedge. The fillet is cooked and served on a cedar plank.
• The New Guiltless Carne Asada Steak Sirloin is flavored with our signature carne asada rub, flame-grilled and topped with house-made pico de gallo and a lime wedge.
• The New Guiltless Honey Mustard Glazed Salmon is a lightly seasoned fillet seared to perfection then topped with our signature non-fat honey-mustard glaze.
• Guiltless Chicken Platter - Grilled chicken breast served on a bed of rice.
• Guiltless Black Bean Burger - Chili's meatless black bean patty topped with low-fat Ranch, shredded lettuce, tomato, pickle and onion.
• Guiltless Grilled Salmon - An eight ounce salmon fillet lightly seasoned and seared to perfection.
• Guiltless Grill Chicken Sandwich - Grilled chicken sandwich with no-fat honey mustard dressing, lettuce, pickle and tomato.

Chili's Grill & Bar is the flagship brand of Dallas-based Brinker International (NYSE: EAT), a recognized leader in casual dining. Chili's offers a fun, energetic atmosphere and a distinct, fresh mix of grilled American favorites at more than 1,400 locations in 26 countries. Other Brinker brands include Maggiano's Little Italy(R) and On The Border Mexican Grill & Cantina(R).

About the New Year's Resolutions survey:

The New Year's Resolutions survey was conducted online for Chili's by Harris Interactive between Jan. 21 and 23, 2009 among 2,333 U.S. adults, of whom 1,144 made New Year's Resolutions this year. These online surveys are not based on probability samples and therefore no estimates of theoretical sampling error can be calculated.

SOURCE Chili's Grill & Bar