One Day Only -- Chili's Donates 100 Percent of Net Profits to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital®

DALLAS, Sept. 19, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Mark your calendar, grab a friend and dine with Chili's® Grill & Bar Monday, Sept. 23 – it's as simple as that. For the tenth year in a row, Chili's is contributing 100 percent of net profits on this one day to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital® as part of the brand's annual More Hope Campaign for St. Jude.

More than 1,200 participating Chili's restaurants nationwide will be ready to take on the throngs of guests coming for what has become a staple of the national fundraising campaign. To participate in Donate Profits Day, guests can either dine in-restaurant or place a To Go order with Chili's Sept. 23 and 100 percent net profits of their check will go directly to St. Jude.

St. Jude is leading the way the world understands, treats and defeats childhood cancer and other deadly diseases, and every September Chili's partners with St. Jude to help continue the hospital's lifesaving work. The More Hope Campaign also coincides with National Childhood Cancer Awareness month, giving guests yet another reason to come into their neighborhood Chili's and take advantage of all the different fundraising opportunities the brand has to offer.

"The partnership between Chili's and St. Jude Children's Research Hospital is as much about giving back as it is about tradition, and guests make plans every year to dine or place a To Go order at their local restaurant on Donate Profits Day," said Kelli Valade, chief operating officer of Chili's Grill & Bar. "There is no other day during the year when you can simply enjoy any of your favorite Chili's menu items, while helping a worthy cause at the same time, ensuring no family ever receives a bill from St. Jude."

Guests' support of More Hope Campaign elements, like Donate Profits Day, has helped Chili's raise more than $46 million for St. Jude to date. With the goal of donating $50 million to St. Jude, the brand is just a few Donate Profits Day orders of Baby Back Ribs and Oldtimer® Cheeseburgers from reaching the 10-year commitment.

"Chili's Grill & Bar is an amazing partner and each year we look forward to Donate Profits Day when Chili's team members and customers in communities across the nation come together to embrace St. Jude's lifesaving mission," said Richard Shadyac Jr., CEO of ALSAC/St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. "We are fortunate to benefit from this long-term, $50 million partnership that helps us raise tremendous awareness and funds to continue finding cures and saving the lives of children around the world."

In addition to Donate Profits Day, there are a number of other ways guests can donate at their local Chili's restaurant between now and the end of the More Hope Campaign Sept. 25:

• Doubling up on the giving by indulging in Chili's new Chocolate Peanut Butter Molten Cake with 30 cents from every dessert ordered going to St. Jude;    
• Coloring the brand's signature chili-pepper shaped coloring sheet for a donation of the guest's choice; and
• Purchasing a ready-to-color T-shirt featuring the More Hope Campaign logo for $12* and a MORE HOPE slap band for $4*.

*62 percent of the purchase price of each T-shirt, and 70 percent of the purchase price of each Slap Band sold will be donated to St. Jude.

To learn more about the More Hope Campaign, visit morehope.chilis.com. Guests can also stay in-the-know by following the brand on Facebook or joining Chili's Email Club.

About St. Jude Children's Research Hospital

Since opening more than 50 years ago, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital has changed the way the world treats childhood cancer and other life-threatening diseases. No family ever pays St. Jude for the care their child receives and, for every child treated here, thousands more have been saved worldwide through St. Jude discoveries. The hospital has played a pivotal role in pushing U.S. pediatric cancer survival rates from 20 to 80 percent overall, and is the first and only National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center devoted solely to children. It is also a leader in the research and treatment of blood disorders and infectious diseases in children. St. Jude was founded by the late entertainer Danny Thomas, who believed that no child should die in the dawn of life. Join that mission by visiting stjude.org or following us on facebook.com/stjude and twitter.com/stjude.

About Chili's Grill & Bar

Chili's® Grill & Bar is the flagship brand of Dallas-based Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE: EAT), a recognized leader in casual dining. Chili's offers a variety of Southwestern-inspired, classic American favorites at nearly 1,600 locations in 33 countries and two territories. In addition to Chili's, Brinker owns and operates Maggiano's Little Italy®.

At Chili's, More Life Happens Here℠ around every table, every day, at every Chili's across the country. Guests are encouraged to share their stories of More Life Happening at their restaurant by connecting  with the brand on Chili's blog (blog.chilis.com), Facebook (http://facebook.com/chilis), Twitter (http://twitter.com/chilis), YouTube (http://youtube.com/chilis) and Pinterest (http://pinterest.com/chilis). For more brand-related information, please visit http://www.chilis.com.

SOURCE Chili's Grill & Bar