The Discontinued Chili's Appetizer We Wish Would Make A Comeback

When visiting a familiar restaurant, there's always one menu item we look forward to enjoying. But unfortunately, sometimes you discover that the dish you rave about isn't as popular as you thought. This was the case when Chili's announced it was discontinuing its Original Chicken Crispers in late 2022. As is often the case when people see their favorite cuisine disappear from a restaurant, there were some passionate reactions. A few folks characterized their beloved appetizer going the way of the discontinued McDonald's snack wraps as the world coming to an end.

In the subreddit r/Chilis, many people made their thoughts known and assailed the decision to axe what they thought was a fan favorite. Comments like "I'm hoping this is just a fever dream and I'll wake up and it'll be fine" and a terser, "Pain," flooded the thread. The subreddit only accrued under 200 upvotes, but those deeply affected by the change voiced their concerns fervently. The responses were similar to those made online when Costco discontinued a popular hot dog option from its food court.

However, one commenter who indicated they work at Chili's explained that the decision was made to make the culinary team's lives easier. Instead of keeping multiple varieties of chicken tenders available, the restaurant simplified its menu by removing its least popular option. The decision was based on practical factors such as underperforming sales and worker satisfaction.

While some considered the Original Chicken Crispers a national treasure, the appetizer wasn't all that popular. They were one of the less popular items, and continuing to stock ingredients for underperforming products isn't good business practice. One Redditor who claimed they worked at the restaurant wrote, "We sell about 1000 crispy crispers a day vs the 20 regular crispers. That's why they got rid of it."

Disgruntled fans took to the social media platform X (formerly Twitter) to post comments like, "I guess I'm officially done with Chilis" and "This is the worst news of my life." Others weren't phased by the news. From "Original crispers are soggy" to "Nobody missing the original so long as you keep the honey chipotle," a number of folks emphasized that they had no issue with Chili's decision.

It's common for a restaurant to terminate a dish that isn't selling at expectations. Some may think it shrewd, but companies are forced to make tough decisions like that all the time, like when Cracker Barrel recently discontinued some of its popular menu items. For the well-being of the business, it's a wise decision to cut the fat and focus on more popular products. Still, that's not to say there aren't avenues for recourse.

Taco Bell's decision to discontinue its Mexican Pizza from the menu rubbed many people the wrong way, and the masses took action. Before long, a Change.org petition had garnered nearly 70,000 signatures in one month (via Today). After the call for the return of the Mexican Pizza hit over 170,000 signatures, Taco Bell thanked customers for their input and brought the dish back.

For some, there is no alternative to the soft, tempura-battered Original Chicken Crispers from Chili's. A Change.org petition to bring them back is still ongoing, but judging from the meager 2,500 or so signatures after being up for nearly two years, Chili's was right to discontinue the appetizer. If you are in the camp of folks wishing the O.G. Crispers would make a return, tell your friends about the petition. If it takes the same numbers as it took Taco Bell to bring back the Mexican Pizza, there are only about 167,500 more signatures left to go.