Dress for Success, Not for Chili’s

Intellectual Takeout ^ | March 27, 2026 | Annie Holmquist

[DoodleBob]

Several years ago, I joined some friends on a trip to Mackinac Island, a place famous for its Victorian culture and ban on automobiles.

After bicycling around the island, we decided to splurge and have tea at The Grand Hotel, which is as polished as its name sounds. Before trooping in for tea, however, we stopped in a nearby restroom to exchange our sports clothes for something a little classier, for the hotel requires its patrons to dress up before entering its domain. Such a change was a bit of a bother, but in the long run, it made me value my experience far more. Because my outward appearance was more polished, my inward self could relax and savor both the food and my surroundings.

The good ol’ Grand Hotel isn’t alone in its dress standards anymore. Ruth’s Chris Steak House recently announced a new dress code for its patrons, posting the following on its website:

BUSINESS CASUAL – PROPER ATTIRE REQUIRED PLEASE.

Kindly remove all hats when entering the restaurant. Guests wearing ball caps are asked to dine in the bar/lounge.

The following attire is not permitted in our dining rooms:

Gym wear, pool attire, tank tops, clothing with offensive graphics or language, revealing clothing or exposed undergarments.

The famous steakhouse was mocked for these (rather minimal) standards by fellow restaurant chain Chili’s, which claimed that you only have to be dressed in order to enter their restaurant.

It’s an admittedly touché response … but does it really win Chili’s any points in the long run? Put differently, if money were no object, would we rather go to the trouble of dressing up to sit and enjoy the upscale Ruth’s Chris than go to Chili’s just so we can bum around in our shorts and t-shirts? Most would choose the former without question.

Some might consider this snobbery. The dress controversy between Chili’s and Ruth’s Chris, however, is really a microcosm of the larger culture war which has raged over of how we present ourselves to the world for years.

The viewpoint of Chili’s is the one toward which our society has been slouching for many years. “Come as you are,” they say, “we won’t judge!” Thus, what once was considered acceptable dinner attire – a nice dress for women and a sport coat for men – gradually morphed into jeans and a blouse, then booty shorts, crop tops, or sweatshirts and pajama pants.

Americans cling to such clothes, loving the comfort that they bring above all else. Yet at the same time, we also complain about how difficult it is to get ahead in the world and how hard it is to get others to respect us. What if the two are related? Might we see more success in our relationships, jobs, and other aspects of life if we didn’t cling so obstinately to the Chili’s dress code of “anything goes”?

Famed Hollywood costumer Edith Head would have said yes. In her book, “How to Dress for Success,” Head wrote, “No matter in which direction your strivings for success are pointed, what you wear and how you look can make the difference between moving steadily toward your goal or just rocking back and forth in the same spot.” In other words, if you want monotony and stagnation, keep choosing those casual, comfortable clothes when you go shopping, dine at restaurants, attend church, or even go to the office.

But those who want to move forward in life should consider a different tactic. Although it sounds a bit crass, Head encourages us to think of ourselves “as a product” that needs selling. And in order to sell that product, one must seriously consider how to improve it.

“The difference between ‘packaging’ you and a static product like a can of beans is considerable,” Head goes on to explain. “The beans are going only one place. You are going many places, and the way you look in each special situation, at different times of the day and on varied locations calls for a variety of looks, a number of moods and a diversified wardrobe.”

If we can control nothing else, we can always decide how we dress, Head says. “When you know what you want out of life—the areas of success you desire—then it is easy to dress ‘in character’ to create the most exciting, pleasing, attractive appearance for your audience.”

Yet so many of us do the exact opposite. What, after all, do our sweats, ripped jeans, and skimpy shorts and shirts say about us? Do they signal that we are a “product” that is clean, neat, alert, responsible, and quality material worthy of advancement … or do they signal that we are dumpy slobs, more interested in lazing through life and getting by with minimal effort?

It’s completely our own choice as to which of these options we’ll follow … but just remember, that choice may be the difference between a Ruth’s Chris or a Chili’s life.

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TOPICS: Society
KEYWORDS: clothing; culture; dressforsuccess; mackinacisland; michigan

[TexasGator]

“I won’t wear any cap or hat while eating indoors.”

I don’t think the people at McDonalds care.

[Labyrinthos]

I would rather dress comfortably. Suits suck. I don’t want to put a noose on...

I concur. I'm convinced that a very angry woman invented the neck-tie. Suits -- I have a closet full of Brooks Brothers suits from my long career as a trial lawyer. Since I am semi-retired and no longer litigate cases, I only wear a suit for weddings and funerals. We live in the foothills about 45 minutes north of downtown Phoenix. Dressing up means wiping the dust from my boots and Stetson.

[stanne]

“ It could be worse - they could not be there at all.”

At least they’re there. Ya. That’s what you want to say to Jesus. I am not getting dressed up for you, whether you died for me or not.

[sauropod]

Bkmk

[lastchance]

“The famous steakhouse was mocked for these (rather minimal) standards by fellow restaurant chain Chili’s, which claimed that you only have to be dressed in order to enter their restaurant.”

The problem was people weren’t “dressed” which implies certain bits are well covered. Instead what they wore suggested an intimacy with members of the general public that was certainly not sought after by such good folk. It should be also be mentioned how unfair many of the clothing choices by the fair sex were blatantly unfair and triggering to nursing infants. Who seeing the dinner bar so amply displayed could not be blamed for thinking nom-nom was close at hand. Poor disappointed tykes!

[HartleyMBaldwin]

I don’t care about them, so it all works out.

[T.B. Yoits]

"A suit is used as a disguise, giving a cover of legitimacy." [is] something a only a slob would say.

As I've shown in the images I've posted, those who lie to you the worst and most frequently do it wearing suits to help maintain the cover of legitimacy.

You can either accept that bitter truth or demand sweet lies wrapped in a suit and tie.

We haven't believed the lab coats in decades, and the same with a doctor's coat. Dancing nurses in scrubs during the COVID-19⁸⁴ Scamdemic dispelled the illusion of legitimacy of nurses' scrubs. It was long overdue.

While some see suits for what they are, many still hold onto their view from past, refusing to accept that it's been co-opted by villains.

Men no longer wear powdered wigs, stocking, and high heels. And yet somehow civilization didn't fall apart.

[Mr Rogers]

Try reading Romans 14. It is in the Bible.

[lastchance]

At least the suit manufacturers don’t put sequins all over the dang thing. As a zaftig older female finding a shirt that is not festooned like a Mardi-Gras float can be a job of work.

[Jane Long]

What is the ‘minimum daily REQUIREMENT’ of inflammatory seed oil?

🤣

[T.B. Yoits]

At least they’re there. Ya. That’s what you want to say to Jesus. I am not getting dressed up for you, whether you died for me or not.

Imagine the sight and stench of the Disciples-to-be, returning with fish in their nets, when Christ approached them for the first time.

[lastchance]

And “black tie” was informal dress and “white tie” was formal dress.

[stanne]

No clue

[stanne]

Yeah. We’re done here

[KevinB]

There is no doubt that people who dress well are treated with more respect. I don’t know why people wouldn’t make a little more effort in their dress to be treated with more respect.

[Mr Rogers]

“ At least they’re there. Ya. That’s what you want to say to Jesus. I am not getting dressed up for you, whether you died for me or not.”

If you think Jesus loves you more because you wear a suit, you need to spend more time reading the Bible and less time in front of the mirror.

[lastchance]

It is also worth considering how different fabrics behave in fires when choosing your upholstery.

[Tommy Revolts]

I'm old school, I like to style. I always tell my friends when we golf that it is
better to look good than to play good.

Plus, I'm a shoe guy. When I was young, I was told by a shoe retailer
that shoes make the man. Never forgot it.

So you can bet that when I'm wearing my handcrafted Ferragamo Italian shoes,
I'm not headed out to Chili's.

Loved the way men and women dressed in the 50's. Today, I don't know what to call it. Sloppy?
No style, no taste? Retarded looking?

[lastchance]

Nonsense.

[Mr Rogers]

“No clue”

Before you speak for Jesus, you might want to read what He and the Apostles said.