Brinker International

What Brinker International does

Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE: EAT) is a publicly traded casual dining restaurant company headquartered in Dallas, Texas, operating two core brands: Chili's Grill & Bar and Maggiano's Little Italy. As of Q3 FY2026 the system totaled 1,632 restaurants across 29 countries and two U.S. territories, split between 1,162 company-operated locations (1,110 domestic Chili's plus 48 Maggiano's, plus international company units) and 470 franchised locations (367 international Chili's plus 100 domestic franchise). The company serves more than one million guests daily through a workforce of over 100,000 team members. Revenue is generated primarily through company restaurant sales (Q3 FY2026 company sales of $1.456 billion, up 3% year-over-year) and franchise royalty and advertising fees (~$274M in franchise sales), with FY2026 total revenue guided to $5.78–$5.82 billion.

The core product is full-service casual dining. Chili's competes on value with the $10.99 3 For Me menu platform, signature items including Triple Dipper (14% of sales), Big Crispy chicken sandwiches, Big Mouth Burgers, Baby Back Ribs, and a beverage program anchored by the Presidente Margarita (approximately 30 million margaritas sold in 2025). Maggiano's operates a four-course Family Style dining experience starting at $44 per person. Distribution is dual: dine-in and off-premise (takeout/delivery) at company-operated locations, supplemented by international franchise partnerships. The technology stack was modernized over a two-year period to include 23,000 iPads, 9,000 refreshed kitchen displays, and Teradata Vantage on AWS as the data platform, with AI applications under evaluation for demand forecasting, inventory optimization, and labor scheduling through partners including HotSchedules.

The business model is asset-heavy restaurant operations with a complementary asset-light franchise royalty stream. Pricing is transactional unit pricing per menu item, with value-led price points at Chili's designed to trade consumers down from fast food and command repeat visit frequency. Customer segments are broad consumer personas: value-conscious households trading down from fast food, casual dining families, and beverage-focused guests. Capital allocation priorities visible in FY2026 include $343.4M of share repurchases year-to-date, full repayment of the revolving credit facility, and refinancing of $350M in high-cost notes, against a 2.1x EBITDA leverage ratio.

Name

Brinker International

Legal name

Brinker International, Inc.

Website

https://brinker.com

Company type

Public

Founded year

1975

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

5,001–10,000 employees

Short description

Brinker International (NYSE: EAT) is a Dallas-based casual dining restaurant operator running Chili's Grill & Bar (~1,210 domestic) and Maggiano's Little Italy (48 domestic) across 1,632 system-wide restaurants in 29 countries, serving over one million daily guests with value-positioned American and Italian-American menus.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Casual Dining Restaurants

NAICS

Full-Service Restaurants (722511), Restaurants and Other Eating Places (72251)

SIC

Retail-Eating Places (5812), Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810)

akta.pro primary industry

Brasseries, Bistros & Trattorias (THAFACAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

Special Occasion & Destination Restaurants (THAFACAK)

Keywords

• Casual dining restaurants
• Family-style dining
• Franchise restaurant operations
• Restaurant value menus
• Restaurant beverage programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Dallas

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Company Restaurant Sales: Revenue generated from company-owned restaurant operations including Chili's and Maggiano's. Q3 FY2026 company sales of $1,455.5 million, up 3% year-over-year. Chili's generated $1,348.1 million in company sales while Maggiano's generated $107.4 million.
2. Franchise Revenues: Royalty and advertising fee revenues from franchise-operated restaurants. Franchise sales of approximately $274.1 million in Q3 FY2026 with franchise comps of +5.7%. Franchise operations include 367 international Chili's locations and 100 domestic franchise locations.
3. Menu and Promotional Programs: Revenue supported by menu innovation and promotional programs including the 3 For Me value menu platform, new product launches like the Big Crispy chicken sandwich, and Margarita of the Month program driving beverage sales.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Brinker International owns, operates, and franchises casual dining restaurants under two flagship brands: Chili's Grill & Bar (American casual dining featuring burgers, fajitas, ribs, and margaritas) and Maggiano's Little Italy (Italian-American family-style dining). The company sells food, beverages, and dining experiences directly through more than 1,160 company-operated restaurants and collects royalties and advertising fees from approximately 470 franchised restaurants across 29 countries.

Product overview

Brinker International operates two distinct casual dining restaurant brands as a unified restaurant company. Chili's Grill & Bar serves as the flagship brand with approximately 1,210 domestic locations offering American cuisine centered on Big Mouth Burgers, Crispy Chicken Crispers, fajitas, and Baby Back Ribs, supported by the value-focused 3 For Me menu platform at $10.99. Maggiano's Little Italy operates 48 locations nationwide serving Italian-American cuisine in a family-style dining format. The company drives traffic through menu innovation including the Big Crispy chicken sandwich line and loyalty programs like the Margarita of the Month Club, while using technology infrastructure for operational efficiency across its 1,600+ restaurant system.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Chili's Grill & Bar Chili's Grill & Bar is the flagship casual dining brand of Brinker International, serving American cuisine including Big Mouth Burgers, Crispy Chicken Crispers, sizzling fajitas, and Baby Back Ribs, supported by the 3 For Me value menu platform at $10.99. The brand serves over 1 million guests daily across approximately 1,210 domestic locations and is the #2 casual dining brand by sales and #1 alcohol restaurant brand in America.
• Maggiano's Little Italy Maggiano's Little Italy is an Italian-American casual dining brand offering scratch-made classic recipes served family-style, including pasta dishes, steaks, seafood, and desserts. The brand operates 48 locations nationwide with a four-course Family Style dining experience starting at $44 per person.
• 3 For Me Menu Platform Chili's value meal platform offering an entrée with fries, bottomless chips and salsa, and an unlimited fountain drink for $10.99. The platform has been expanded to include Big Smasher and Big QP burgers as well as Big Crispy and Spicy Big Crispy chicken sandwiches, positioning the brand competitively against fast food value offerings.
• Big Crispy Chicken Sandwich Line A line of hand-battered chicken breast sandwiches available in six variations: Big Crispy, Spicy Big Crispy, Honey-Chipotle Big Crispy, Nashville Hot Big Crispy, Buffalo Big Crispy, and Deluxe Big Crispy. Positioned as a competitive alternative to fast food chicken sandwiches with the filet claimed to be 82% larger than McDonald's McCrispy.
• Margarita of the Month Club Chili's loyalty program offering a different culturally or seasonally inspired margarita each month for $6, with free membership allowing guests to track monthly margaritas and purchase branded merchandise. The program capitalizes on Chili's selling nearly 30 million margaritas in 2025, more than any other restaurant brand in the U.S.

Quantifiable outcome

• Restaurant-level profit per unit doubled from ~$370,000 (FY2022) to ~$790,000 (FY2025)
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Spire MotorsportscoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 13 January 2026Multi-year NASCAR Cup Series sponsorship extending partnership with Spire Motorsports and driver Carson Hocevar. Chili's branding appears on No. 77 Chevrolet ZL1 with multiple race dates planned for 2026 starting at Circuit of the Americas. Partnership has grown from limited race opportunity into comprehensive multi-platform sponsorship including NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series and High Limit Racing sprint car events.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Dine Brands: Franchisor of Applebee's and IHOP. Direct casual dining peer, although predominantly franchise-based versus Brinker's company-owned mix; competes for the same mid-tier casual dining guest.
• Texas Roadhouse: Casual dining steakhouse chain with similar value-oriented positioning, company-owned operating model, and comparable domestic footprint. Direct competitor for casual dining traffic and labor pool.
• The Cheesecake Factory: Casual dining operator with strong experiential brand and broad menu similar to Chili's. Competes in the same casual dining traffic pools with comparable average ticket size and occasion use cases.
• Bloomin' Brands: Operates Outback Steakhouse, Carrabba's, Bonefish Grill, and Fleming's. Multi-concept casual dining operator with similar brand portfolio strategy to Brinker and direct competition in the same casual dining segment.
• Cracker Barrel: Casual dining family restaurant chain with similar value positioning, broad American menu, and comparable traffic from regional and value-conscious consumers. Direct competitor for casual family dining occasions.
• BJ's Restaurants: Casual dining chain with deep-dish pizza, Pizookie desserts, and a strong beverage program (own-brew beer). Closely comparable operating model, ticket size, and casual dining value proposition.

Broad incumbents

• Darden Restaurants: Largest U.S. full-service restaurant operator (Olive Garden, LongHorn Steakhouse, Cheddar's). Directly comparable as a multi-brand casual dining incumbent with similar scale, franchise/company model, and exposure to the same value-conscious consumer trade-down dynamic.
• Inspire Brands: Multi-brand restaurant platform (Dunkin', Arby's, Buffalo Wild Wings, Sonic, Jimmy John's, Baskin-Robbins). Indirect competitor through Buffalo Wild Wings' overlap with Chili's bar-and-grill occasion.

Others

• Restaurant Brands International: QSR parent of Burger King, Tim Hortons, Popeyes, and Firehouse Subs. Adjacent competitor because Chili's Big Smasher and Big QP burger platforms directly target Burger King's value-conscious consumer.
• McDonald's: Global QSR leader that Chili's explicitly targets with the Big Crispy chicken sandwich ('82% bigger than McCrispy') and Big Crispy Food Court pop-up activations. Strategic competitor for value-conscious dining occasions.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/Chilis
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@MaggianosLittleItaly
• Facebookfacebook.com/Chilis
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/brinker-international
• Instagraminstagram.com/chilis
• TikToktiktok.com/@chilisofficial

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A2 records

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Brinker International