Lizzo gave Chili's Baby Back Ribs jingle a new run on Wednesday, starring in a video that promotes the chain's recently upgraded ribs. The clip is live on YouTube and ties a current menu push to one of Chili’s longest-running brand assets.
1996 Roots Return
The video pays homage to Chili’s original 1996 TV commercial, when employees broke into song and used kitchen utensils as percussion. That kind of repetition is rare in restaurant advertising, and Chili’s has leaned on the jingle more than once, including a 2023 version with Boyz II Men.
Lizzo added a new verse, recorded an acapella version of the original, and even showed off her flautist skills on a rib flute. She said, “When they reached out about collaborating, I couldn't say yes fast enough,” and added, “I don't think there's a more memorable jingle, so when putting my own spin on it, I really wanted to honor that history while also making it feel fun and very me.”
Chili's Menu Upgrade
The ribs in the ad are not the same ones the chain sold before. Chili’s says its new baby back rib recipe uses larger ribs with a crispier exterior of caramelized barbecue sauce, part of a series of menu upgrades that have helped drive significant sales and traffic growth over the past two years.
Lizzo said Chili's was a big part of her childhood, a useful fit for a campaign built around recognition rather than novelty. She has also won multiple Grammy and Emmy awards, which gives the spot a level of cultural reach that most restaurant jingles do not get.
Boyz II Men to Lizzo
Chili’s has now cycled the Baby Back Ribs line through several renditions over the years, and the path from 1996 to 2023 to Wednesday shows how the company keeps reusing the same hook to sell product changes. For Chili’s, that is the point: the ad does not just sell a song, it sells the updated ribs beside it.
The move lands at a practical moment for the chain, because the new version is already public and customers can hear the jingle now rather than wait for a bigger launch. For anyone watching restaurant marketing, this is a clear bet that a familiar tune still has more pull when it is tied to a recipe update people can actually order.
