• by Teresa Buyikian , March 31, 2025

Pretty much every single Dundies award ceremony and post-work drinks get-together on the hit NBC show “The Office” was held at the local Scranton, Pennsylvania, Chili’s restaurant. Yet, the location, like the show itself, was fiction. There was no Chili’s in Scranton. Until now.

Chili’s announced the chain has finally opened its latest location, in Scranton -- and along with it, a new campaign.

Created by John Marshall & Daughters, the video campaign depicts many of the stars of the show in various scenarios reminiscent of their characters.

The hero spot, seen here, announces the Scranton grand opening by showing the new location is actually a complete throwback to the time the fast-casual was featured on the show,  in both décor and menu, with tiled tabletops, signage and server uniforms all from 2005. The spot contains about a dozen Easter eggs and guest stars from various episodes spanning multiple season of “The Office,” including Melora Hardin, Andy Buckley and Amy Pietz.

“For decades, Chili’s has inserted itself in culture… (from the)…famous Baby Back Ribs jingle, (to the) most recent Triple Dipper cheese pulls on TikTok,” said George Felix, Chili’s CMO, in a release. “But we’ve also seen the brand come to life on screen through the years, and that includes being tied to Scranton despite never having a location there. …A moment this big was way more than a pop-up could pay off, so we created Chili’s Scranton branch to feel like a familiar home to fans complete with the perfect throwback menu item in the Awesome Blossom.”

In another :15 spot, seen here,  Kevin (played by Brian Baumgartner), announces the return of his favorite Chili’s menu item, the Awesome Blossom. The appetizer was retired from Chili’s menus in 2008, but the chain has exclusively brought it back to the new Scranton store.

A third :15 spot shows Meredith (played by Kate Flannery) whose character has a penchant for alcohol, introducing the limited-time Scranton Marg, which ends with her pouring the cocktail into her purse to take home.

The spots are streaming online and also on the brand’s social media platforms. The Scranton location is the only store out of the chain’s 1,600 units to have dedicated its entire décor as a tribute to the heyday of “The Office “in 2005.