The Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma Bringing Chili’s® Grill & Bar Franchises Along With 80 New Jobs to Southeast Oklahoma
Durant, Okla. - Residents of Atoka and Poteau will soon be able to enjoy a casual lunch or a night on the town at Chili’s® Grill & Bar. The development of the two Chili’s restaurants will be the newest additions to the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma’s Franchise Division.
The restaurants will bring a new dining option to communities in central Atoka County and north central Le Flore County, as well as for those traveling through these areas. Both Chili’s will be built adjacent to the existing Choctaw Nation Travel Plaza and Casino Too’s, located at Highway 69/75 and Highway 3 in Atoka and at the junction of Highway 271 and Highway 112 in Poteau.
“We are excited to bring a popular, nationally recognized restaurant brand of Chili’s caliber to these two towns. Even more importantly though, we are thrilled with the jobs these two restaurants will create for the areas’ residents” said Choctaw Nation’s Chief Gary Batton.
The Atoka location will provide 40 jobs and will be the first casual dining restaurant brand with a national footprint in Atoka. The Poteau restaurant will also provide 40 jobs to the surrounding area. Construction for the Poteau location is set to start this month and the restaurant is expected to open in August 2015. Construction is scheduled to begin March 2015 for the Atoka restaurant, which has an expected completion date of October 2015.
Chili’s® Grill & Bar is the flagship brand of Dallas-based Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE: EAT), a recognized leader in casual dining. Chili’s offers a variety of Southwestern-inspired, classic American favorites at more than 1,550 locations in 30 countries and two territories. In addition to Chili’s, Brinker owns and operates Maggiano’s Little Italy®. For more brand-related information, please visit chilis.com.