• People across the country can help kids fighting cancer by visiting Chili's Grill & Bar throughout September and participating in the Create-A-Pepper promotion in any of the following ways:
  • Make a donation to St. Jude, for which patrons will receive a Create-A-Pepper coloring sheet. Completed coloring sheets will be displayed in restaurants for the duration of the promotion.
  • Purchase Create-A-Pepper T-shirts that can be customized with a permanent marker.
  • Purchase a Create-A-Pepper key that can be cut for use at home or the office.
  • Eat at Chili's on Monday, Sept. 28, when Chili's will donate 100 percent of its profits from restaurant sales to St. Jude.
  • People also can participate in the campaign by visiting www.createapepper.com, where they can make a donation and create an electronic pepper. Site visitors can also purchase Create-A-Pepper T-shirts.
• This annual promotion lasts throughout September, which is National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month.
• To date, Chili's has raised more than $25 million for St. Jude, raising enough funds to be halfway to their 10-year goal of $50 million.

• St. Jude Children's Research Hospital^® opened in 1962 and was founded by the late entertainer Danny Thomas. Its mission is to find cures for children with cancer and other catastrophic diseases through research and treatment. St. Jude has treated children from all 50 states and from around the world.
• St. Jude is the only pediatric cancer research center where families never pay for treatment not covered by insurance. No child is ever denied treatment because of the family's inability to pay.
• The daily operating cost for St. Jude is nearly $1.4 million, which is primarily covered by public contributions.
• During the past three years, 84 cents of every dollar received has supported the research and treatment at St. Jude.
• St. Jude maintains 78 inpatient beds and treats upwards of 250 patients each day.
• St. Jude is the first and only pediatric cancer center to be designated as a Comprehensive Cancer Center by the National Cancer Institute.
• In 1962, the survival rate for acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), the most common form of childhood cancer, was 4 percent. Today, the survival rate for this once deadly disease is 94 percent, thanks to research and treatment protocols developed at St. Jude.
• The medical and scientific staff published more than 600 articles in academic journals in 2008, more than any other pediatric cancer research center in the United States. This is an average of a St. Jude paper being published every 17 hours.
• St. Jude was the first institution to develop a cure for sickle cell disease with a bone marrow transplant and has one of the largest pediatric sickle cell programs in the country.
• St. Jude is a World Health Organization Collaborating Center for Studies on the Ecology of Influenza Viruses in Animals and Birds.
• St. Jude is the national coordinating center for the National Cancer Institute-funded Pediatric Brain Tumor Consortium, Children's Cancer Survivor Study and Pediatric Drug Discovery Consortium. St. Jude also is the coordinating center for a national study of sickle cell disease treatment funded by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute.

Overview:

Chili's Grill & Bar is a leading casual restaurant chain with a fun and energetic atmosphere where family and friends can gather over a delicious meal. Chili's serves guests in more than 1,400 restaurants in all 50 states and 28 countries and two territories worldwide.

Heritage:

Chili's Grill & Bar opened its first restaurant in 1975 in Dallas, Texas. Created as a hamburger restaurant/chili house with a uniquely Southwestern flair, Chili's Grill & Bar served homemade-quality food, draft beer and frozen drinks in a casual atmosphere. The menu was as simple as the food was outstanding, with items like the Oldtimer^® (a ½ lb. hamburger topped with lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, onions and mustard) and a "bowl of red" — Texas-style chili.

On The Menu:

The Chili's menu has grown to offer a variety of Southwestern-inspired, classic American and international tastes. Some highlights include:

• Starters, such as the Southwestern Eggrolls, Texas Cheese Fries, Triple Dipper and Skillet Queso;
• Big Mouth Burgers^®, including classics like the Oldtimer^® and Mushroom-Swiss Burger and newer favorites such as the Southern Smokehouse Bacon Burger and Big Mouth^® Bites;
• Grilled Baby Back Ribs, up famous triple-basted ribs smoked in-house daily with mouth-watering favorites like Honey-Chipotle, Honey Barbeque and Memphis Dry Rub;
• Sizzling Fajitas, featuring Classic, Mushroom Jack, Steak & Portobello, and Citrus Fire Chicken & Shrimp;
• Fire Grilled Quesadillas like the Bacon Ranch Quesadillas and Jalapeno Steak Quesadillas
• Chicken Favorites like Chicken Crispers^®, Chicken Crispers^® Bites, Crispy Honey-Chipotle Chicken Crispers^®, Monterey Chicken,^® and Chicken Club Tacos;
• Guiltless Grill, featuring several tasty choices for your healthy lifestyle, such as the Buffalo Chicken Sandwich, Guiltless Carne Asada, Cedar Plank Tilapia and Honey Mustard Salmon;
• Pepper Pals Kids Menu, featuring a choice of 11 entrees, 8 side items and soda, milk and juice beverage options;
• Great items for Lunch, like the Bottomless Express^™ Lunch served until 4 p.m. daily, and other favorites like the Quesadilla Explosion Salad and the Smoked Turkey Sandwich.
• Desserts, featuring the popular Molten Chocolate Cake, Chocolate Chip Paradise Pie^® and new favorites such as the Sweet Shots and the White Chocolate Molten Cake.

Restaurants:

A typical Chili's Grill & Bar restaurant is roughly 6,000 square feet, includes seating for 200 guests, and is staffed by approximately 120 "ChiliHeads." Most Chili's are stand-alone operations located convenient to major retail, residential and commercial/office centers. However, "Chili’s Too" locations can be found in shopping malls, airports and similar "non-traditional" locations both domestically and internationally.

Hours:

Vary by location, but generally 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., Sunday through Thursday, and 11 a.m. to Midnight, Friday and Saturday.

Ownership:

Chili's is the flagship brand of Brinker International (NYSE: EAT), one of the world's largest casual dining companies, with nearly 1,700 restaurants in 28 countries and two territories. Other Brinker restaurant brands include Maggiano's Little Italy and On The Border Mexican Grill & Cantina.

Contacts:

Chili's Grill & Bar
Stacey Sullivan, Media Relations 800.775.7290