Chili's 2014 Annual Report Download - page 4

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Expect to see new Fresh Mex menu items along with improved food quality
and relevance as we continue to renovate and innovate our core menu in
2015.
Another way we’re differentiating the Chili’s brand is by leveraging
technology to enhance our guests’ dining experience. Several years ago
we introduced new technology in the Back of House, ‘Kitchen of the Future,’
which improved the quality and consistency of our food and opened up new
possibilities for culinary innovation.
This year we introduced Ziosk tablets in the Front of House. Ziosk provides
entertainment for our guests and allows them to control their dining
experience by ordering drinks and desserts and even paying their check, all
at the table. Ziosk is in all of our company owned restaurants and we have
the largest network of tabletop devices in the country.
We are building on this foundation by investing in additional guest-centric
technology, such as a loyalty program and enhancing our To Go business
by improving our on-line and mobile ordering experience.
On the restaurant development front, we opened 10 new company-owned
Chili’s restaurants in the U.S. in fiscal 2014. Collectively, sales volumes at
these restaurants are higher than the company average and returns are
above our hurdle rate. In the coming year, we will open another 8-10 Chili’s
in the U.S., including our first location on the Las Vegas Strip. We believe it
will be high volume, and serve as a billboard for the brand to the millions of
consumers who pass through Las Vegas each year.
We’re also driving incremental revenue with a new grocery line of high
quality, frozen Chili’s “At Home” entrees. These are now available in more
than 13,000 retail locations, including all Wal-Mart stores, and more than 20
new SKUs are under development.
Most importantly, our guests and team members understand the
importance of giving back to our communities. Our annual fundraising effort
for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital is just one example of how our
team members rally to support great causes. Last year, Chili’s guests and
team members helped us reach our commitment of raising more than $50
million for St. Jude, the largest donation from a single partner in the
hospital’s history. It would not have happened without the hard work and
dedication of our team members, and we’re proud of our continued
relationship with St. Jude.