As Chili’s approached its 50th anniversary, we set out to do more than mark a milestone. We wanted to prove that Chili’s was not just a restaurant with history, it was a brand that shaped culture. For two decades, fans of The Office had emotionally claimed a fictional Chili’s in Scranton as their own, keeping the “Scranton Branch” alive online. The “I Feel God in This Chili’s Tonight” meme became one of the internet’s most enduring Office references, resurfacing continuously across social feeds and fan communities (including The Office subreddit/Dunder Mifflin threads).
Our idea was simple but bold: make the internet’s most beloved fictional Chili’s a permanent reality—a fan-faithful, 2004-era “Scranton Branch” that let people step into the moment they’d been sharing for years.
Objectives:
To bring the Chili’s Scranton Branch to life, we treated it as a cultural moment first and a restaurant second. The ambition was not to stage a temporary activation, but to make something fans had referenced for 20 years feel real, permanent and worthy of national attention.
Our starting point was deep fandom fluency. We revisited every Chili’s scene in The Office and paired that with archived 2004-era brand materials to ensure the environment felt era-accurate. Vintage artwork, tile tables and uniforms were recreated with precision. The long-retired Awesome Blossom returned exclusively at this location, reinforcing authenticity through the menu itself. The space was designed to operate as a fully functioning restaurant, but its true purpose was immersion. Every detail invited fans to step inside a piece of television history.
From an earned perspective, the strategy was to build credibility within entertainment culture first, then expand outward. Ahead of opening, we coordinated interviews with Brian Baumgartner and Kate Flannery to generate early excitement across entertainment and lifestyle outlets. Their participation grounded the activation in authenticity and signaled that this was more than a themed promotion.
At launch, we deployed a film shot in the visual style of The Office, complete with direct-to-camera interviews and layered Easter eggs. Rather than over-explain the concept, the creative invited fans to discover references themselves. This sparked organic conversation across TikTok, Reddit and X as audiences analyzed the details and shared their reactions.
Simultaneously, we activated a national restaurant layer. Limited-edition merchandise and the $5 Scranton Marg connected the local opening to every Chili’s location, ensuring the cultural moment translated beyond Pennsylvania. The campaign worked across physical experience, earned media, social conversation, and in-restaurant participation.
The greatest challenge was expectation. For two decades, the Scranton Branch existed only in fans’ imaginations. The risk was not indifference but scrutiny. To meet that standard, we avoided irony and parody. The execution took the fictional reference seriously and treated the fandom with respect.
What makes this work unique is its permanence and its restraint. Instead of referencing a pop culture moment in advertising, Chili’s built it in real life and let earned media and fans carry the story forward. By turning fiction into a functioning restaurant and activating it through culture-first storytelling, we created something audiences could experience firsthand, not just watch or scroll past.
The Chili’s Scranton Branch delivered against both objectives: an earned-first cultural breakthrough and measurable restaurant growth driven by fandom.
Earned + social breakthrough: The launch generated nearly 2,300 media placements and nearly 10 billion impressions, with coverage spanning CNN, PEOPLE, AP, and USA Today—moving well beyond entertainment press into national news and reinforcing Chili’s as a brand embedded in culture. On social, #ChilisScrantonBranch trended on TikTok and X for three consecutive days, powered largely by fan-led content, reactions, and community conversation rather than paid amplification.
That cultural momentum translated into real-world action. The Scranton Branch delivered the highest-grossing opening week in Chili’s history, followed by its second-highest week ever. Fans traveled to Scranton from across the country, lining up for hours and sharing their experiences back online. The energy extended far beyond Pennsylvania, as guests nationwide participated through limited-time menu offerings tied to the moment. What began as an earned media activation evolved into sustained in-restaurant engagement across markets. The story did more than generate headlines and social conversation. It drove meaningful guest traffic, menu trial and measurable business lift, reinforcing Chili’s relevance both culturally and commercially.
Ultimately, the work rewarded superfans, captured Gen Z rediscovery, and helped turn lapsed guests into loyalists, ultimately transforming a 50th anniversary milestone into one of Chili’s biggest cultural and business moments in years.
