History was just made. In fact, it seems as though The Office may never be the same.
Today, the news brought us an incredible story of real life and onscreen life coming together like never before. To truly understand the ramifications, you'll have to be a die-hard fan of the show. Or, simply go back to the beginning.
Picture this: It's the annual Dundie awards, the night in which the Dunder Mifflin employees are forced to gather together for a night of fried appetizers, watching Michael perform painful karaoke and receiving awards like "Bushiest Beaver" and "Hottest in the Office." (Which, inappropriately, went to Ryan the Temp.)
While logistically the night went off with many hitches, it wasn't exactly a walk in the park for Pam, either. She had a fight with her boyfriend and proceeded to drown her sorrows in many, many Chili's Margaritas. We mean many. By the time she accepted the Whitest Sneakers Award she was half in the bag, which probably explains her speech that ended with "I feel God in this Chili's tonight" and a huge kiss for Jim.
But while this display was entertaining for us, the viewer, Chili's is a family establishment that frowns upon patrons being too drunk to stay upright on their stools. As such, they Xeroxed Pam's driver's license and banned her from the restaurant chain for life.
Cut to February, 2017. Real-life Pam, Jenna Fischer, finds herself out of one such franchise of the chain and decides to take a selfie and tweet, "Should I try to go in?" Since Fischer is a fierce advocate for respect for the law, the story seemingly ended there. She took her craving for onion rings and watered-down beer elsewhere.
But then, seizing an opportunity like it's never been seized before, Chili's decided to take things a step further. The company issued a decree, declaring that Pam Halpert was no longer banned.
"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," it read. "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.'
And that's how you play the social media game, Chili's.