Chili’s throws serious shade at TGI Friday’s over mozzarella stick dig

Two popular restaurant chains are throwing shade at each other on social media over which one has the better mozzarella sticks, though punches were thrown below the belt when one questioned if the other was still in business.

Chili’s Grill & Bar shared a tweet from TGI Friday’s Thursday and took a few digs in the process.

“Somebody tell <insert chili pepper emoji> to stay in their lane,” TGI Fridays posted on X. “Y’all are not mozzarella stick people. We are. That’s it. That’s the tweet.”

Along with sharing TGI Friday’s post, Chili’s commented, “@ us next time… Also, we honestly didn’t know you were still open. Congrats!”

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Several of Chili’s followers were also shocked TGI Fridays was still open, one writing, “BURNNN! This calls for a trip to Chili’s!”

Another follower wrote, “OMG, I think I just witnessed a murder.” Another follower wrote, “I can’t remember the last time I seen a TGI Fridays except for in the frozen section.”

Chili’s responded to the latter, writing, “ooooop.”

But many followers stuck to the subject at hand: Which restaurant chain is better?

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“They’ll never have the triple dipper, and for that, they will envy you forever,” one follower wrote to Chilis, which, in turn, responded, “They can never achieve triple dipper excellence.”

Another follower wrote, “Might have to get Chilis tonight just because of this tweet. Roasted them.”

“We bring the heat!” Chili’s wrote back “Hope we see you tonight.”

In a post of its own, TGI Fridays failed to call out Chili’s on X but shared the restaurant chain’s post, saying, “is the cheese pull challenge accepted or nah?? <insert three yawning emojis>”

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One of TGI Friday’s followers responded by writing, “@Chilis” with a set of eyeballs, and TGI Fridays responded, “we’re waiting too..”

Chili’s and TGI Fridays did not respond to FOX Business’ request for comment on the social media battle that ensued Thursday.

Before the spat, TGI Fridays wrote on X that its new menu was out, adding that the “mozz sticks hit harder. happy hour’s calling. life’s good.”

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The chain has been aiming for a comeback after a challenging year that saw dozens of closures and a bankruptcy filing.

The company joined a number of restaurants that filed for protection in bankruptcy court in 2024 after failing to manage the heavy debt accumulated during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The restaurant’s footprint in the U.S. has significantly diminished to 85 active sites, less than a third of the number that operated in the U.S. at the start of 2024.

TGI Fridays shuttered more than two dozen locations, and, during the restructuring, the company sold 27 of its 39 corporate-owned units to franchisees, transitioning to a full franchisee-led model. In January 2025, former CEO Ray Blanchette, founder of Sugarloaf TGIF Management, returned to lead the company again.

Beyond menu innovation, TGI Fridays is also shifting how it presents itself. The company is “changing the brand voice and freshening it up,” focusing more on engaging consumers through social media rather than traditional TV ad campaigns, according to Blanchette.

FOX Business’ Daniella Genovese and Aislinn Murphy contributed to this report.