Chaplin's Chili was a restaurant started by Tom Chaplin. It was the first iteration of the Chaplin's Chili brand. After Levinsons Acquisitions purchased the brand from Chaplin, they began expanding to new locations with an expanded menu. Chaplin, unhappy with the changes, left the new company and returned to the original restaurant with his proprietary chili recipe, while the new locations were forced to rebrand to Chaplin's Soups and Subs.

The name and logo of the restaurant led to confusion, with some believing that the restaurant was named after famed movie actor Charlie Chaplin.