CHILI'S FROZEN MARG LAUNCH: Building a "Chilli" Chili's on the Hottest Day of the Year

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Coming off the viral success of Fast Food Financing, Chili’s tapped us to run it back for the launch of their new premium frozen margarita line. The brief was simple: make it icy, make it epic, make it Chili’s.

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On the hottest day NYC had seen in 13 years, I produced a one-night-only frozen party in the heart of Chelsea with Mike Woods and the crew at m ss ng p eces. Nearly 300 press, influencers, and friends of the brand escaped the heat and stepped into a frost-covered wonderland featuring:

• A circular bar carved entirely from ice, crowned by a nine-foot margarita centerpiece

• Chili’s iconic booth and a DJ stage, both sculpted from ice

• A 270º projection-mapped environment that fully immersed guests

• Custom reflective jackets, gloves, beanies… and ski goggles, because why not?

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To keep the experience authentic (and delicious), we built a fully permitted commercial kitchen from scratch to pump out hundreds of Triple Dippers per hour, while providing back-of-house support for eight frozen margarita stations slinging drinks non-stop.

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We brought in 16,000 pounds of ice, 70,000 BTUs of supplemental A/C, and I oversaw every detail: logistics, permitting, ice sculptors, A/V for a professional DJ set, and brand-perfect creative execution. The result was a glossy, premium event that froze social media, racking up billions of views as guests posted videos of themselves sipping Patrón margaritas at an ice bar while NYC baked outside at 100°.

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As producer, I managed all the moving parts that evening. This included securing permits and inspections to create a fully operational commercial kitchen in a non-restaurant venue, navigating New York State liquor laws to keep the margs flowing legally, and leading the creative development of immersive projection mapping content. Not to mention coordinating the transportation and installation of eight tons of ice before it melted in the June heat.

 

The result was an event that was (like the brand) fun and irreverent, but still creative and well choreographed. Our client and agency partners left thrilled - the only thing frosty was the margs.