Chili’s, DoorDash to present virtual celebrity dinner party

A fast-casual chain and an on-demand delivery platform will let customers recreate an online charity event.

On Thursday, May 14, DoorDash is hosting a celebrity-driven virtual dinner party at 8 p.m. PT on YouTube. Featuring a menu curated by Chili’s and entertainment from DJ and producer Chantel Jeffries, the event will include attendees such as Liam Payne, Marshmello, Jordan Clarkson, Addison Rae, Britney Spears, The Chainsmokers, Nicole Scherzinger, Travis Mills, Fatherkels, Olivia O’Brien, Fletcher, Jamie Lynn Spears, Alesso, Shaylen, Jay Sean, Alissa Violet, Gigi Gorgeous & Nats Getty, Dinah Jane, Paris Hilton, Anastasia Karanikolaou, and Lolo Zouaï. DoorDash will donate meals to families in need through a partnership with Feeding America based on the amount of viewers that tune in.

Customers can order a meal bundle based on the party menu through the DoorDash app from Thursday, May 14 through Sunday, May 17. The “Come Back to Me” menu features full-sized Chili’s entrees along with a chips and salsa appetizer and a molten chocolate cake for $13.

“We’re excited to participate in this first of its kind partnership to help reinvent the dinner party knowing many of our Guests are looking for new ways to connect with others,” said Michael Breed, VP of digital innovation at Chili’s Grill & Bar. “We’re all about bringing people together to enjoy new music, lively conversations and to create meaningful connections across the dinner table no matter where our guests are.” 

“We think there’s a lot of opportunity in using our platform to enable talent to engage with our customers and restaurants, and we’re excited to facilitate that experience in an authentic and unique way,” said David Bornoff, DoorDash head of consumer marketing. “We know the DoorDash customers are craving these types of experiences, and the entertainment industry has pivoted recently to be able to enable more virtual entertainment opportunities. It made a ton of sense to bring together these artists who are missing their friends, work with our partner Chili’s to create this exclusive experience, and show that you can still have fun and connect over food and music even in this new reality.” 

DoorDash has been launching efforts to simulate the dine-in experience for customers restricted to takeout during the COVID-19 pandemic. In April, the company released a variety of free, custom-made virtual backgrounds to simulate restaurant environments including Chili's.