Chili’s will bring back its Skillet Beef Queso, an appetizer that’s been on Dallas menus for 35 years, after the company removed it from the menu in early October 2025.
“OKAY WE HEAR YOU,” Chili’s posted on X, “and we hate when y’all are mad at us.”
“We tried to killet, but you love the skillet,” the company wrote in an Instagram post.
The Dallas Morning News is awaiting details on when Skillet Queso will make its comeback. The company confirmed the rollout will be nationwide.
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The reversal led to thousands of likes and comments on social media in just a few hours. (Sounds like a less dramatic version of the Cracker Barrel logo debacle, no?)
“A big part of Chili’s DNA is listening to guests,” a spokesperson told The Dallas Morning News via email. Further, the company heard “from many of our long-term guests about their love for the original Skillet Beef Queso.”
Skillet Beef Queso was removed from Chili’s menu in October 2025 after the chief marketing officer said it wasn’t popular with consumers. Nevermind, the company said on Oct. 27, 2025.
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Publicly-traded parent company Brinker International, valued at $5.58 billion today, saw its stock fluctuate over the past month as the Skillet Queso news was shared. The company is based in the Cypress Waters development in Dallas-Fort Worth.
In the past several years, Chili’s executives have made significant changes to beloved menu items that have caused a stir among its loyal fanbase. The shift away from Skillet Queso might be the biggest recipe change from the Dallas-born company since it nixed the original Chicken Crispers in 2022. Chili’s changed its baby back ribs and frozen margaritas recently, too.
Which Chili’s queso stays?
Chili’s removed two appetizers in early October 2025:
Skillet Beef Queso, which landed on menus first in 1990White Skillet Queso, a vegetarian option added in the last 10 years
A company representative confirmed the Skillet Beef Queso — the longtimer, made of bright orange cheese and hunks of beef — will return. The White Skillet Queso will not.
The returning Skillet Beef Queso “will be the same recipe,” a spokesperson confirmed.
“We know our guests loved the Skillet Beef Queso exactly as it was and [we] intend to bring it back unchanged — skillet included.” The price of Skillet Queso, salsa and chips will stay the same: $10.29 for those in Dallas.
When Chili’s yanked those two quesos, it replaced them with a new appetizer called Southwestern Queso. It will remain on the menu. Southwestern Queso is made with American cheese, cheddar cheese, green chiles, onions and lime, and is served with Chili’s salty tortilla chips.
“We’ve decided there’s still room for two quesos on the menu,” a Chili’s spokesperson wrote to The News.
But why remove Skillet Queso in the first place? George Felix, chief marketing officer for Chili’s, told The News in early October 2025 that customers expressed “dissatisfaction with Chili’s queso lineup for the last few years.”
It seems others’ dissatisfaction on seeing a 35-year queso canceled spoke even louder.
Find a Chili’s in the Dallas-Fort Worth area here.