By Carrie Seidman

Here's the question: Is rampant commercialism OK when it benefits a good cause?

This just landed on my desk....and put me into a quandry.

It seems Chili's -- the restaurant chain, that is -- just announced it is planning to raise $50 million over the next 10 years for St Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, Tenn. In return, the hospital will name the building that will house their radiological services, pediatric brain tumor center and research laboratories for the grill and bar. The Chili's Care Center is scheduled to open in the fall of 2007.

Now, on the one hand, I'm all for corporations doing their socially responsible part. Since it began in September 2002, Chili's has raised more than $5.5 million for the hospital with its national "Create a Pepper to Fight Childhood Cancer" promotion, which encourages guests at its restaurants to contribute a dollar or more to color a pinup of the signature Chili's pepper. They also devote profits from sales for a day every year to St. Jude's. Who wouldn't commend that?

But why do they have to go spoil it all by plastering their name on a building for sick kids? The last time I was in a Chili's -- admittedly, a long time ago -- the food didn't exactly make me think of health and well-being.

I suppose in a world with Journal Pavilion and Roy E. Disney Center for the Performing Arts, this is just par for the course, but it just doesn't feel right to me. I mean, next are we going to see Marlo Thomas feeding a pediatric cancer patient some fries?

What do you think?

Posted by Carrie Seidman at 01:07 PM | Permalink