Chili's first location was a converted postal station on Greenville Avenue in the Vickery Meadows area of Dallas, Texas. It opened in 1975. Lavine's idea was to create an informal full-service dining restaurant. The restaurant had a menu with hamburgers of different types which didn't cost a lot. The brand was successful. By the early 1980s, there were 28 Chili's restaurants in the region. They all had Southwest style.