Brinker to spend $100 million upgrading Chili’s kitchens
Brinker International Inc. will spend $100 million to improve the kitchen technology at its Chili’s Grill & Bar chain, one of several “transformational changes we are going to make to our business,” chief executive Doug Brooks said Friday.
Brooks updated analysts on the future of the Dallas-based company, one day after announcing plans to slim down from three chains to two. Brinker plans to sell On The Border Mexican Grill & Cantina to an affiliate of San Francisco-based Golden Gate Capital.
Also Friday, Brinker, which also owns Maggiano’s Little Italy restaurants, raised its profit outlook, boosted its dividend by 27 percent and added $250 million to its stock buyback authorization.
For the 2010 fiscal year, which ends in June, the company estimates profits before special items will be $1.40 to $1.44 a share. That’s down 3 percent to flat compared with fiscal 2009. But it’s higher than the previous guidance of $1.15 to $1.30 a share.
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