Cheese is melting all over menus, giving sales a solid boost

The cheese pull that started it all: Chili’s Mozzarella Sticks. | Photo courtesy of Chili’s

Melted cheese is having a moment on menus, making customers and casual-dining restaurants very happy. Diners love the dippability and stretchability of cheese, and operators are seeing that adding cheese can boost traffic and sales.

Let’s call it the “cheese pull effect.” It started in 2024 with Chili’s and its now-famous Triple Dipper appetizer. The shareable platter includes mozzarella sticks filled with gooey cheese that stretches when guests take a bite. TikTok users went wild showing off their exaggerated “cheese pulls,” and the menu item went viral. Chili’s reported that the Triple Dipper has since garnered 200 million TikTok views and 15% of transactions now include the appetizer. 

Cheese pull-mania

The Dallas-based chain reported a same-store sales jump of 8.6% year over year during the last quarter of 2025. And that was after five straight quarters of double-digit sales growth, with cheese pulls pulling their weight.

Rival Applebee’s was ready to get a piece of the cheesy action and launched a Grilled Cheese Cheeseburger late last year. It boosted new customer traffic and became the casual-dining chain’s best-selling burger ever. 

But then the O-M-Cheese Burger arrived in January and quickly earned that title. This burger is topped with American cheese, applewood-smoked bacon and spicy honey mustard, then cut in half and served alongside fries in a sizzling skillet of molten queso and a blend of cheddar cheeses. 

“What I love about the O-M-Cheeseburger is that it’s truly experiential,” said John Peyton, CEO of Applebee’s owner Dine Brands, in an interview with Restaurant Business. “When the skillet comes out and you can hear the cheese sizzling and you get that great cheese pull when you pick up the burger. And by the way, the cheese then extends to the fries. So you’ve got cheese fries as well.”

The O-M Cheeseburger is cut in half to boost the dipping experience. | Photo courtesy of Applebee’s

It’s clear that consumers think cheese is good, and more cheese is even better.

Peyton added that none of Applebee’s guests asked to have the cheeseburger cut in half to make it easier to dip in the cheese, “but when we showed it to them, it’s what clearly appealed to them.”

Dipping makes the cheesy experience even more social-media worthy. “When guests can build, dip or customize every bite, it adds energy to the meal. That sense of play is becoming an important part of why they choose a brand,” said Michelle Chin, CMO of Glendale, California-based Applebee’s. “We’re in a visually driven environment where people discover meals through short‑form video first. Melted cheese happens to be incredibly dynamic on camera—it stretches, it drips, it sizzles—and that sensory appeal makes people stop scrolling,”

To get the burger at its cheesiest best, Applebee’s culinary team combined a smooth queso base with a blend of cheddars, resulting in a molten, velvety sauce that covers both flavor and texture, said Chin. “With the O‑M‑Cheeseburger, we wanted something more dimensional—a sauce that had the comfort of queso but the richness and stretch that make the dish so distinctive.”

It turned out to be a recipe for success. “From a marketing standpoint, what’s been remarkable is the organic momentum,” said Chin. “More than 400 creators posted about it, generating over 65 million views. When the brand, the culinary experience and the social conversation all align, you get the kind of cultural moment that lifts the entire business.”

TGI Fridays plunges into the cheese pool

With all the cheese oozing onto casual-dining menus, TGI Fridays joined the competition, taking the plunge in February. Instead of introducing a new dish to the menu, the Dallas-based chain debuted Fondue-It—a $3 upgrade that gives guests the chance to add a cheese pour to five select items.

The culinary team combined two existing menu favorites—Poblano Queso and Alfredo—to create the cheese pour, said Lauren Perez, SVP of global marketing for TGI Fridays. Poblano Queso is a creamy white cheddar cheese sauce with a kick of ground green chilies, diced onions, garlic and jalapeño, while Alfredo is a traditional rich cream sauce blended with Parmesan and Romano cheeses.

Fondue-It is a leading add-on to Loaded Potato Skins. | Photo courtesy of TGI Fridays

“Currently the top pairings with Fondue-It are Loaded Potato Skins, our Bacon Cheeseburger and the Crispy Chicken Sandwich,” said Perez. “The Truffle Mushroom Burger and Big Queso Energy Burger are close behind.”

It’s only been a couple of weeks since Fondue-It has been a menu option, but guest response has been incredibly positive, she added. “They’re loving both the bold flavor and the interactive, over-the-top experience that comes with dipping, pouring and sharing.”

It’s too early to track how Fondue-It is driving Fridays’ sales and traffic, but the $3 upcharge has the potential to bump up checks. 

Value is part of the equation

Restaurant Business’ sister company Technomic reports that preparations that mention “melted” or “cheesy” in the menu description have increased in the past two years and, in some instances, when applied to specialty applications, can drive higher checks. In fact, the addition of cheese to a menu item has an average 69-cent positive impact on price, according to the latest data from Technomic’s Ignite Menu platform.

Not only can operators charge more for a cheesy item, cheese adds value in the eyes of the consumer. Casual dining and burgers are two of the top places consumers want to see more cheese, Technomic research reveals. 

Both Chili’s and Applebee’s are also offering cheesy items at a great price point. Chili’s shareable Triple Dipper appetizer starts at around $17, and Applebee’s O-M-Cheeseburger is $11.99; it can also be ordered as part of the chain’s current 2 for $25 deal.

“Over the last year, we’ve been focused on reimagining value in a way that blends flavor, experience and accessibility,” said Chin. “When we looked at the success of the Grilled Cheese Cheeseburger, we recognized a clear opportunity; guests were responding not only to the flavors, but to the experience the food created.”