Chicken sandwich orders at Chili's Grill & Bar have jumped 175 percent since the Big Crispy platform launched earlier this year, and parent Brinker International is now stacking a second bet on it. The new Chicken Parm Big Crispy reaches the chain's restaurants in Florence, Ky.; Rome, Ga.; and Venice, Fla. on Oct. 13, with nationwide availability from Oct. 20. The catch: guests must ask a Chili's team member for it.

The launch is textbook menu engineering (assembling new items from existing, proven components to protect margins). The sandwich combines two established sellers: the Big Crispy chicken sandwich and Chili's Fried Mozzarella, topped with marinara. It ships with fries, white cheddar mac & cheese, and sides of marinara and house-made ranch.

George Felix, chief marketing officer and executive vice president of Brinker International, framed the build in a statement: "A Big Crispy topped with our fan-favorite Fried Mozz and marinara is craveable, over the top in all the right ways and unmistakably Chili's. You won't find a Chicken Parm with a better cheese pull than this."

What does the early-market stunt involve?

Chili's is leaning into the joke that its Chicken Parm is not Italian, and neither is the chain. The three launch markets just happen to carry Italian city names. Beginning Oct. 13, the three restaurants will offer the exclusive first taste ahead of the national rollout.

Each location gets limited-time extras:

• An Italian mural booth photo opportunity in Florence, Ky.
• Commemorative plates for the first 150 guests who order the sandwich at each location.

The chain also enlisted Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi, the reality TV personality who, like the sandwich, is not actually Italian, for a tourism video filmed in Florence, Ky.

Why it matters for operators

The Big Crispy platform debuted earlier this year with six variations, and the 175 percent lift in chicken sandwich orders gives Brinker a proven chassis for line extensions. The Parm build requires no new proteins, only existing fried chicken, mozzarella sticks and marinara — the kind of component reuse that keeps cost of goods in check while giving the marketing team something to sell.

The unlisted national rollout, which requires guests to ask a team member, adds a word-of-mouth mechanic to a menu item that costs nothing extra to advertise.

The national launch lands Oct. 20, one week after the three-city preview.