This morning Benjamin told us there was no eye in chiji. It took a while before we realized he meant the letter ”I” and not an “eye — ”no, the i with a dot in it!” After some more forensic analysis, it became obvious he has confused the letter “L” with the letter “I” and had heard me calling “Chili’s” “Chiji’s.”

A couple months ago, while exploring the various malls of Oakland, we stopped by Applebee’s and had a disappointing meal: the service and food quality were terrible, and the prices — even after living in the City for the 15+ years —weren’t going to make up for it.

A couple weeks ago, I showed M— this video on Kevin Hochman’s Chili’s turnaround, and we’ve been looking for an opportunity to check out those changes.

Yesterday, after a hike near Mt. Diablo, due to the right combination of appetite and proximity, we finally got that opportunity.

When we got there, I was immediately struck by the logo no longer being spelled “Chiji’s” which is apparently how it ear-wormed its way into my four-year-old’s head. (The logo changeover happened 14 years ago which gives you an idea of how frequently I’ve patronized the casual sit-down dining market in the years I lived in San Francisco.)

We split an order of the Triple Dipper because of the memes and M— also introduced me to the queso dip with nachos because that and margaritas were what she would have with her girlfriend after work back when they were both just starting out in their careers and were poor. (M— has been spoiled by SF non-blended margaritas in the city so now the iconic Chili’s margaritas — made the way they like it in the ‘burbs and to hit the lower price point — are now way too sweet.) For us, even after hiking in the sun for a few hours, even that abbreviated meal was rich enough that we both skipped dinner and got our fix in for a while. (M— had to explain to Benjamin what “too rich” means in that context.)

M— mentioned this morning that Brian Niccol (now CEO of Starbucks) and Kevin Hochman worked together at Proctor & Gamble. Their turnarounds (Taco Bell, Chipotle, Starbucks and Yum Brand, Chili’s) bear a similarity that is in marked contrast to other leaders in the space, as well as CEOs in general. But that discussion is probably for another time. You can “do your own research” as the red-caps are fond of saying.