Chili's Lifts Ban on Pam from 'The Office,' and Jenna Fischer Is Delighted
During the season two premiere of "The Office," Pam Beesly had a little too much to drink while attending the annual Dundies celebration at Chili's, and was permanently banned from the chain. Luckily, though, the character can now breathe a sigh of relief, thanks to a well-timed tweet from her offscreen alter ego, and a hilariously perfect response from the restaurant itself.
Actress Jenna Fischer, who played Pam for nine seasons on the NBC sitcom, took to Twitter this week to share a photo of herself outside of a Chili's, asking her followers, "Should I go in?" The actress was obviously referring to Pam's dicey history with the chain, but whoever was running the Chili's Twitter account was definitely in favor of the actress taking a chance, replying, "we hope you felt God tonight," a nod to Pam's Dundies acceptance speech.
Should I try to go in? pic.twitter.com/HDpPqzA0by
— Jenna Fischer (@jennafischer) February 6, 2017
@jennafischer we hope you felt God tonight.
— Chili's Grill & Bar (@Chilis) February 7, 2017
But the fun didn't stop there. On Tuesday, the chain tweeted out a press release announcing that it had officially lifted its ban on Pam, and "welcomes her back to any #Chilis restaurant."
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
Here's the full release, featuring a statement from the Chili's president herself:
Effective immediately, Chili's® Grill & Bar has removed the longstanding ban on a Scranton, Pennsylvania woman who allegedly caused a disturbance during a company awards party held at a Chili's near the Pennsylvania town of Scranton.
The woman, Pam Beesly Halpert, received a prestigious award for having the whitest sneakers in the company.
After thanking her shoes and coworkers, the woman declared, "I feel God in this Chili's tonight."
"After reviewing the good conduct of Pam, I have decided to lift the now 11-year ban," said Kelli Valade, President of Chili's. "Pam is an inspiration to many and we welcome her with open arms."
Fischer followed up that announcement with yet another reference to that fateful night at Chili's, tweeting, "OMG! Second drink!!!," a nod to what Pam affectionately dubbed the melted ice in her glass.
OMG! Second drink!!! https://t.co/xGGM78iaX6
— Jenna Fischer (@jennafischer) February 7, 2017
We definitely feel like raising a second drink to this delightful news, too. Cheers to Pam, Chili's, and Fischer for making social media a little more joyful this week.
[via: Jenna Fischer, Chili's, h/t Entertainment Weekly]