Coming Soon!
By Will Johnson
Messenger Reporter
PALESTINE – On Monday, May 22, a new, casual dining restaurant will open its doors for the first time in Palestine as Chili’s® Grill and Bar begins to welcome guests to its establishment located at 2210 South Loop 256.
The newest eatery in the Dogwood City will begin to serve guests seven days a week starting at 10:45 a.m. and will close at 10 p.m. Sunday through Monday and at 11 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.
During a Thursday, May 18 interview with Chili’s Palestine Managing Partner Kenn Tellman, he indicated Palestine had been on the company radar for quite some time.
“We recognized the need for a casual dining restaurant here. The area is growing and moving and we thought it could support a Chili’s,” Tellman said.
“One of the ways to grow sales is to open new locations and we targeted Palestine a long time ago. Finally, we were able to find the right location, get a deal done and build a building here,” he explained.
Tellman said the restaurant’s grand opening is right on schedule as Monday fast approaches and added the newly hired staff is getting in several practice shifts beforehand.
“Thursday, Friday and Saturday (May 18-20) are training days. We had some invitations we handed out and those folks are coming in to give us a chance to practice. Sunday will be a chance to catch our breath and then Monday we will be ready to go,” he said.
The staffing process, according to Tellman, “… has been great. We had a lot of interested folks and well over 300 applicants. We have managed to find a number of the key members we need to get open. We’ll typically carry a staff of 45 to 50, which includes both full and part-time folks.”
While the food service industry is notorious for a high employee turnover rate, Tellman said that isn’t the case with Chili’s.
“We typically trend below the national average, as a whole. We think we create the best jobs for folks in any market and if you are in the restaurant business, Chili’s is the job to have,” he asserted.
“During the training process, everyone seems to be very excited and glad they chose to apply. It starts with our culture and I think we are doing a great job of that,” Tellman said.
“We create a great culture in our buildings and want to create a love for the brand – for both team members and the guests who come through our doors,” he added.
As the interview continued, Tellman said the Palestine location will feature the newest design along with the latest innovations available in the Chili’s restaurant concept, while still providing exceptional customer service.
“The building we have here,” he said, “is a standard we think Chili’s is going to take into a lot of markets. We’ve been testing quite a few things for them to help the brand identify things that work and those that don’t work.”
Changing gears somewhat, the managing partner said regular patrons of Chili’s will recognize many of the same entrees, appetizers and side items on the menu but stressed the company “… is always striving to find new and crave-able foods for our guests. Sometimes they work and then other times when we roll them out nationwide, they don’t.”
One new item on the menu, Tellman revealed, would be an addition to the crispers section.
“We have added chicken and waffles to the menu. It is a honey chipotle chicken crisper that sits on top of a waffle with a little sauce drizzle. We also have a couple of new sauces for our crispers,” he said.
“We’re excited to be here,” Tellman said. “We know the area is going to support us, we feel we made the right choice and we’re ready to show this area what a casual dining restaurant should be.”
Chili’s® Grill and Bar is part of the Brinker International company based in Dallas.
Will Johnson may be reached via e-mail at [email protected].
