Chili’s catered my wedding — call me a cheapskate, but I saved thousands

Oh, baby back!

A frugal feast of Chili’s chicken tenders, sliders, cajun chicken pasta, salads and more delicious Tex-Mex grub wound up stealing the show at Southern belle Madison Mulkey’s wedding.

The practically-minded Savannah, Georgia peach turned to the chain restaurant as a thrifty alternative to traditional catering — which can cost an average of $75 per guest, according to wedding website The Knot.

The spread, which Mulkey shared with her followers on TikTok, where the video has been viewed more than 1.3 million times, wound up a steal at $1,950 for 99 guests — a far cry from the $7,500 Mulkey says she would have had to spend on the usual chicken-or-fish extravaganza.

“First of all, we loved the price point,” Mulkey said in the TikTok. “You really can’t beat that price point. You just can’t.” 

But, saving thousands of dollars on her big day came with some surprising hidden costs — Mulkey said she had to spend more time and energy coordinating pickup for the food than if she’d hired someone to worry about it for her. 

“We had to pick it up pretty early because we didn’t want to pay for the delivery fees,” Mulkey noted. 

That meant the bride-to-be wound up waiting at her local Chili’s at 11 o’clock on the morning of her wedding day. Luckily, she was able to corral the crew at her reception location, who made sure the food was hot, ready, and artfully presented that evening.

“That was just a lot more work than we had anticipated,” Mulkey admitted, noting the added pressure placed on venue staff.

And while plenty of Mulkey’s followers saluted her savvy, others expressed concern over the undue burden borne by workers who perhaps weren’t properly trained to prepare and present someone else’s food.

“As someone who works in the industry, this sounds like a nightmare for your staff and coordinator,” one La-Z-Boy labor expert sniped, calling out the bride for skimping. 

Mulkey followed up her first video with a clarification — she did tip the Chili’s kitchen staff $300, and that the venue employees were paid hourly, including for any extra time they may have spent on preparation.

Some skeptics remained unconvinced.

“Servers aren’t cooks, they serve people, not serve whatever purpose you need,” a commenter complained.