R&B star Brian McKnight plays a singing waiter in a new spot promoting Chili’s Grill & Bar’s “3 for Me” value offering.

The work was done by Mischief @ No Fixed Address. Chili’s, which previously engaged OKRP as its agency of record, has been working with creative partners on a project basis, a spokesman said.

The spot shows McKnight waiting on a table at a Chili’s. His customers appear to recognize him, only he denies it. When the diners are unfamiliar with the 3 for Me value offering, McKnight suddenly pulls up a microphone stand, the restaurant is bathed in blue light, and McKnight breaks into a version of his 1999 hit “Back at One,” explaining the three steps to ordering a drink, an appetizer and a main course for $10.99.

“We wanted to go beyond a straight parody song,” Ross Fletcher, group creative director, Mischief @ No Fixed Address said in emailed comments. “The idea of Brian working at a Chili’s and denying he’s in fact R&B superstar Brian McKnight let us bring the remix to life in a fun and entertaining way. After all, food should be fun. It was a great opportunity to put Chili’s, and 90’s R&B, back in the limelight.”

The “Back at One” remix, created in partnership with Coca-Cola, is on Chili’s YouTube channel; 30-second versions will appear on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok.

Blast of new advertising

The McKnight spot comes amid a blast of new advertising as Chili’s emphasizes aggressive opening price points as a means to build back traffic. A separate commercial from Jon Marshall & Daughters will mark the brand’s first appearance on national tv in three years.

The Jon Marshall & Daughters commercial will be Chili’s first on national television in three years. It will break next week with digital and TV ads airing during NCAA basketball’s March Madness, on ABC and NBC during primetime, and streaming on Hulu, Peacock, ESPN and Paramount+.

The ad, called “Get Your Own,” also promotes 3 for Me, while reminding lapsed consumers about the brand with touches such as its tiled table tops and Chili’s famous “Baby Back Ribs” melody playing in the background.

The 3 for Me program follows on the heels of reducing the volume of discounts and coupons at Chili's, which also reduced less-profitable trips, Kevin Hochman, president and CEO of parent company Brinker International, said during an earnings conference call earlier this month. The money saved by fewer discounts is being invested in the 3 for Me value platform.

“At a time when consumers are seeing record restaurant prices in smaller portions, we're coming in with industry-leading abundant and complete meal at a sharp price point,” Hochman said, according to a Sentieo transcript.

Merchandising in restaurants encourages 3 for Me “trade-ups” to $13.99 and $15.99 price points, Hochman said.

“Now with the addition of out-of-restaurant advertising, 3 For Me will play the role of traffic driver in our business,” Hochman said. “We believe providing this platform through national media as well as the opportunity to reboot our loyalty offers will help us drive incremental traffic and win market share regardless of the macroeconomic conditions.”

Chili’s comparable-store sales increased by 8% while traffic was down by 7.6% in the recent fiscal second quarter.