The Chili’s logo? Really?
Hello everyone. This edition of ‘Evolution of a Logo’ is a little bit different than it’s predecessors in that its equal parts confessional and trip down memory lane.
Confession:
Typically, I can spot the hidden symbol(s), if there are any, in a logo right away… I mean naturally, right? BUT with this edition’s logo, I admittedly and quite shamefully didn’t notice it until a few days ago as I was driving northbound on I-35.
My thought: Oh! Chili’s got a new logo. When did that happen?
I made a mental note to do some googling the next time it was convenient for me.
Soooo, here I am. Confessing to you, my audience of two, that the Chili’s logo has been in its current state since 2011. 2011!!
And here’s another confession- I NEVER noticed the hidden apostrophe as the stem of the chili pepper, <GASP!> until my road trip down I-35 a few days ago, and that has been a part of the logo concept since 2002. 2002?! How did this slip past me? I’m trying not to be too hard on myself. I haven’t eaten at Chili’s since around 2002, and I’m typically driving so I don’t always notice new and improved roadside eatery signs.
Here’s a brief history of the Chili’s logo in case you need a refresher.
But still… it got me thinking. Was it because of my general lack of interest? No, I don’t think so. I have general disinterest in pretty much all chain/fast food type restaurants, but I’ve certainly taken note of the Hooters logo, and you don’t have to be a designer to recognize the genius behind McDonald’s. AND, anyone who lives in Austin can agree on how dope the Flyrite logo is. Amirite? So I’m blaming it on execution, or rather, lack there of. It was a creative concept that just fell a little short in my opinion.
Or maybe…
it’s because anytime I see a Chili’s my head gets clouded with a certain epic jingle?
Anyone born before 1990 knows what I’m talking about. There’s a fairly entertaining story behind the creation of this song that refuses to release our brains from its eternal clutches.1
Apparently the writer of the jingle, Guy Bommarito of GSD&M (at the time), wrote it in, I quote, ‘like, five minutes,’ in a frantic Hail Mary to win his client, Chili’s, back over. I wonder if it worked?
Or, a better question:
Did you tell your client you wrote it, in like, five minutes?
I encourage you to read the Vice interview; it’s way more fascinating than this blog post.
For those of you still here, I am genuinely baffled as to how I never noticed the hidden symbol and rightly embarrassed, but on the bright side it sent me down a google rabbit hole where I discovered the Vice interview, which led me to this video:
And then of course the commercial we all remember from way back when we were forced to watch television commercials.
Trip down memory lane:
AND then this complete gem I had completely forgotten about: (wait for it… wait for it…)
Seriously, how did I never notice it??
1 Vice News article: https://www.vice.com/en/article/ypx4dy/the-inventor-of-the-chilis-baby-back-ribs-song-has-never-eaten-their-ribs. GAWD, I wish I could write like this.
