It’s official: Pam Beesly Halpert, of NBC’s now-defunct series “The Office,” can don her white sneakers in a Chili’s Grill & Bar once again after an 11-year ban, according to a news release.
The restaurant, owned by Brinker International (ticker: EAT), was responding to a tweet from actress Jenna Fischer, who played Halpert on the U.S. sitcom for all nine seasons. Fischer posted a photo of herself outside a Chili’s restaurant Monday, generating 118,000 retweets and 369,000 likes as of Wednesday morning.
Should I try to go in? pic.twitter.com/HDpPqzA0by
— Jenna Fischer (@jennafischer) February 6, 2017
Chili’s first responded to Fischer’s tweet Monday night, then tweeted out a news release Tuesday afternoon formally allowing the character to return to the restaurant.
In the show, the restaurant banned Halpert for causing a scene at a company awards party — Michael Scott’s infamous Dundee Awards, to be exact. Following a Dundee Award win for whitest sneakers at the office, she exclaimed, “I feel God in this Chili’s tonight.”
BREAKING: Chili’s lifts permanent ban on Pam (@JennaFischer), welcomes her back to any #Chilis restaurant: https://t.co/jw76381O8K
— Chili’s Grill & Bar (@Chilis) February 7, 2017
“After reviewing the good conduct of Pam, I have decided to lift the now 11-year ban,” Kelli Valade, the president of Chili’s, said in a statement. “Pam is an inspiration to many and we welcome her with open arms.”
Swift responses to social media can indeed work in a company’s favor, though not all efforts have proven effective or popular. Take Cinnabon‘s recent Carrie Fisher kerfuffle as an example, tweeting out “RIP Carrie Fisher, you’ll always have the best buns in the galaxy,” with a photo replacing one of Princess Leia’s signature hair rolls with a cinnamon bun. It generated a swath of negative feedback from Twitter users.
Wendy’s (WEN) sassy social media efforts haven’t gone unnoticed, though the company got into a skirmish of its own after tweeting out the now political Pepe meme.
Chili’s generated a wealth of positive messages in the replies to its tweet. After all, as Hapert once put it, “There’s a lot of beauty in ordinary things. Isn’t that kind of the point?”
OMG! Second drink!!! https://t.co/xGGM78iaX6
— Jenna Fischer (@jennafischer) February 7, 2017
@Chilis @jennafischer this has been a terrible week so far, and yet somehow this tweet made everything okay.
— Kayla (@kayla_hensonn) February 8, 2017
I may eat at @Chilis tonight solely because I know Pam (@jennafischer) is now welcome back!
— Just Joshing (@joshdunbar) February 8, 2017
@clicheWamsley @Chilis @jennafischer this is literally the best thing I’ve ever seen
— Matthew Greer (@tickgreer95) February 8, 2017
@Chilis @jennafischer HAHAHAHA! This is GREAT!!!! Love it! #seconddrink pic.twitter.com/pllEBJsXyW
— Amy (@kcirishbabe) February 7, 2017
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Chili’s Welcomes Back Pam Beesly Halpert After 11-Year Ban originally appeared on usnews.com
