Chili’s opens an unofficial homage to ‘The Office’ in Scranton

Whenever the Scranton staff of Dunder Mifflin Paper Company went out for a power lunch or to celebrate a whitest sneakers contest in The Office, they searched for “awesome blossoms” and margaritas.

There was only one place to go.

“I feel God in this Chili’s tonight,” Pam Beasley said, after drinking too many “margs” in the beloved 2005 “Dundies” episode of the hit NBC show.

The Office was primarily filmed in California and Scranton, it turns out, never had a Chili’s. Until now. Sort of.

Today, every Chili’s across America is selling $5 “Scranton margs” to celebrate the official opening of its new “Scranton Branch” … a few miles from Scranton, in neighboring Dickson City.

The Chili’s Scranton Branch will also be the casual dining chain’s only location — there are about 1,600 of them in 29 countries — to serve the “Awesome Onion,” a favorite of Michael Scott’s. The large, deep-fried onion was discontinued from menus in 2008.

“It was a complicated item to make,” said director of operations Mark Gibson.

From the outside, the location simply looks like a new Chili’s and there are no photos of cast members or scenes from the Dundie Awards on the walls. Devoted fans who’ve seen The Office’s Chili’s episode will recognize the cues of more wooden decor and tiled tables, as a throwback to Chili’s of yesteryear. And there will be chalkboard designs from the 2000s that were prominent in the background on the show, drawn by the original artists.

“No other restaurant of ours has this look,” Gibson said at a soft opening Thursday. “We are obviously leaning into a lot of the popularity in what we’re known for with the show, but it’s not at the forefront.”

The Scranton Branch, about 130 northeast of Philadelphia, will have a replica booth, similar to where Michael Scott and Jan Levinson ate their power lunch, where visitors can sit for photos, with props. A large chalkboard with “Welcome to the Scranton Branch” greets diners when they walk in.

On The Office, the Chili’s episodes were filmed in an empty restaurant in Panorama City, Calif. The closest Chili’s to Scranton, in Wilkes-Barre, closed in 2020. There is a Chili’s about an hour north of the Scranton Branch, in Vetsal, N.Y.

Several former cast members, including Brian Baumgartner, who played Kevin, participated in promotions for the restaurant.

“Scranton is a city I’m very protective of, and working with Chili’s to open this location was a natural fit,” Baumgartner said in a statement. “The Chili’s team pulled out all the stops in creating this restaurant, and I’ll be stopping in for an Awesome Blossom every time I come visit.”

If you plan to visit, more information about Chili’s Scranton Branch can be found here. If you can’t make it, they’ll be selling merchandise here.