What was supposed to be a good-natured rant on human interaction turned into a viral internet sensation involving healthcare, a fast-casual restaurant chain, and a tweetstorm.
BuzzFeed reports that Colin Gray was putting in some time on Twitter when he started to rant about how people throw their frustrations into the internet ether instead of actually contacting anyone involved in the situation.
"There's this weird thing you can do, where, if you need information from someone, you can ask them instead of the internet," he started.
Gray's tweetstorm got hotter than a serving of Buffalo wings and eventually, he casually tossed in a mention to Chili's, which actually serves up Buffalo wings in its restaurants.
AdvertisementADVERTISEMENT
"You can just blindly ask Facebook...or Chilis. Sometimes @Chilis knows," Gray wrote.
Then, things got lip-smackingly good. Chili's Twitter actually responded when Gray asked a question about his medical bills and copayments. Grey, a longtime Chili's fan, seemed to delight in the one-on-one interaction. He told BuzzFeed that was very pleased to hear from the restaurant and appreciated the comment.
If your deductible hasn't been met, your copay is how much it costs to simply leave your doctor's office. They can charge way more later.
— Chili's Grill & Bar (@Chilis) September 21, 2017
He wasn't the only one that came to Chili's for advice. After Gray's successful tweet, other users came to the purveyor of baby back ribs for answers to some complicated questions and for life advice. Users submitted questions about their love lives and medical bills before declaring that the restaurant chain knew more about the current state of healthcare than some politicians.
It's not as bad as it seems. While at times life can feel overwhelming, there's always more good than bad. You simply have to look for it.
— Chili's Grill & Bar (@Chilis) September 21, 2017
Justin Runyon, Chili's social media manager, told BuzzFeed that the restaurant's team was more than happy to take the time to help fans.
"Life's too short not to have fun with it," he explained to BuzzFeed. "As you can see, we don't take ourselves too seriously on social."
Twitter seems to agree with that sentiment, tossing out the hope for Chili's to run for office and stating the obvious: times are bleak when casual restaurants are taking on the task of answering questions about healthcare.
Chili’s, will you consider restructuring from a chain of good eats and good times into America’s sole health insurance provider
— Zach (@BarroldBonds) September 21, 2017
Chili's is better at explaining health care than the people legislating it https://t.co/NZwhukc3y1
— stefapie (@stefapie) September 21, 2017
This is what America has come to: Casual dining chains are explaining the fuckery that is our healthcare / insurance system. https://t.co/k2097rL8CP
— Michael Graziano (@voretaq7) September 21, 2017
Related Video:
Read These Stories Next: