If you’ve ever been to a military base, then chances are good, you’ve been to a Chili’s. And just because we love you and we know you were looking for something to replace TayTay’s viral, “Karma is a guy on the Chiefs coming straight home to me,” that’s been stuck in your head all week, we present you: Chili’s updated jingle by Boyz II Men.
Why do we care about a Chili’s jingle? First of all, it’s damn catchy. Second, Chili’s was the first restaurant to participate in SkillBridge, so we’re always happy to show them some love. Offered in partnership with the U.S. Department of Defense, SkillBridge helps transitioning servicemembers prepare for a Department of Labor-approved restaurant management apprenticeship program, or to immediately enter the workforce. As a 12-week program incorporating hands-on work experience and front-of-the-house and back-of-the-house instruction, SkillBridge participants also become proficient in product quality and cost control, as well as sales and marketing.
“Transitioning servicemembers come with tremendous skills that our industry’s restaurant, foodservice and hospitality operations desperately need and want,” said Rob Gifford, President of the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation said in a 2022 press release. “We are grateful to Brinker International for being our first SkillBridge employer and for championing job and career opportunities in our industry for our nation’s heroes.”
According to the release, for Chili’s, the SkillBridge program is a welcome simplification to a process they’ve believed in for years, giving them a much easier conduit to recruit these desirable additions to the civilian workforce.
“We thank our military members for their service and value their leadership experience. We’ve focused on attracting, identifying and retaining strong talent transitioning out of the military into civilian careers for many years, and welcome the opportunity to help them transfer their skills into rewarding restaurant careers,” said Rick Badgley, Executive Vice President and Chief People and Administrative Officer of Brinker International in a 2022 press release.
“We’re all about making people feel special and showing them how much they matter. Our partnership with the NRAEF and DOD in bringing the SkillBridge program to life at Chili’s is another way for us to show our support,” Badgley said. In 2019, Chili’s committed to enrolling 250 apprentices into the Foundation’s Hospitality Sector Registered Apprenticeship (HSRA) program, and that number has grown to more than 2,000. HSRA is part of the Foundation’s new Restaurant & Hospitality Leadership Center, which offers three nationally-accredited training programs to restaurant employers – Line Cook, Kitchen Manager and Restaurant Manager – through a partnership with the U.S. Department of Labor. The Center joins with employers like Brinker International, Inc. to ensure a seamless process of identifying and enrolling employees, implementing standards and building an internal training program and, finally, awarding nationally-recognized credentials to graduating trainees. For more on The Restaurant & Hospitality Leadership Center, visit ChooseRestaurants.org/RHLC.