Chili’s Triples Down on the Triple Dipper With National Ads and Halloween Drop

Chili’s just turned a cheese pull into a full-blown marketing moment.

Starting October 1, the brand is reviving its MozzMates costume, a cheese pull-inspired two-person look that sold out in just 20 minutes last year.

Priced at $75 and available exclusively at welcometochilis.com, the costume reflects the visual appeal that has made Fried Mozz a TikTok staple.

This year’s rollout comes with a contest twist: Chili’s has teamed up with reality star JaNa Craig to find her perfect MozzMate.

Fans can enter by posting a video to Instagram or TikTok using #ChilisMozzMates explaining why they’d be the ultimate match.

The winner gets a Chili’s date with JaNa, with or without the costume.

Jesse Johnson, Chili’s Vice President of Marketing, shared with DesignRush how the brand responded to fan behavior and built a full campaign from it:

“The Triple Dipper continues to be hands down the most viral item in all of food — with Fried Mozz cheese pulls filling FYPs across the country.

Even with the crazy success we’ve already seen, we know there is still a large audience who may have heard of the Triple Dipper, but still haven’t tried it for themselves yet.

So we’re using TV placements across programs like College Football and NFL to show them what they’ve been missing. It’s hard to see these new food commercials and not crave a Triple Dipper at Chili’s immediately!”

To complete the seasonal campaign, Chili’s is also reviving its Witches Brew Marg as October’s $6 Marg of the Month.

According to the food chain, the drink sold more than 1 million servings last year, adding to the restaurant’s record-setting fall performance.

From Menu Favorite to Marketing Star

The Halloween drop builds on a year of momentum for Chili’s Triple Dipper, which accounted for 15% of the brand’s Q4 sales and racked up 41 million orders in the last fiscal year.

With Fried Mozz, Burger Bites, and Chicken Crispers leading the way, fan hacks like stacking Nashville Hot Mozz inside Burger Bites have only helped fuel social traction.

Now, that same energy is hitting national TV.

Chili’s recently launched its first-ever ad campaign focused entirely on the Triple Dipper.

Built with the same voiceover, tight food visuals, and Baby Back Ribs jingle as its popular 3 For Me ads, the new spots spotlight the menu item that fans were already sharing on socials.

Creative & Campaign Takeaways for Agencies

Chili’s latest campaign shows how a well-loved product can be the entry point for larger brand storytelling.

It also offers clear lessons for agencies working with restaurant, CPG, or retail brands looking to turn everyday items into headline drivers.

• Seasonal campaigns work best when they are anchored in a product fans already love and recognize
• Reality-based contests have stronger impact when they support behaviors the audience is already showing online
• Humor, nostalgia, and product storytelling are more effective when grounded in real demand and sustained sales

This isn’t just about costumes and cocktails.

It’s a roadmap for building campaignable assets from a product-driven culture.

Our Take: Can a Cheese Pull Carry a Campaign?

I wasn’t sure at first. But after watching this campaign unfold, I see how Chili’s turned a visual moment into something much bigger.

The TV spots are clean and familiar, but the MozzMates contest is where it really clicks for me.

It feels like the kind of campaign that was built from observation, not assumption.

I’ve seen plenty of brands try to manufacture viral moments. This one actually responded to one.

What I like most is how Chili’s didn’t stop at one idea.

The Triple Dipper became a visual cue, a sales anchor, a costume, a contest prompt, and a conversation starter. That’s brand building, one cheese pull at a time.

Chili’s carried this same energy into gaming last year, releasing a BurgerTime-inspired trailer with Jon Marshall and his daughters to spark playful engagement.

Turn fan favorites into brand fuel. These agencies help food brands build full campaigns from products customers already love.