That's news to me, lol. I have asked security guards at football games, concerts, etc if I could vape outside the designated smoking areas, and they said sure... no problem. (I don't take that to mean I should vape in the stands or in a crowd... just that I can find a good place without trekking to the smoking area).
I would guess it's more local ordinance than state law. But again, I'm not positive.
I really just don't get the mentality that wants to challenge something like this. If Chili's doesn't want you vaping in their entrance, why would you want to do it? I guess everybody's wired differently.
If it is just Chili's "personal preference," and some militant vaper decided to take them to court and won, you can bet the restaurant lobby would get involved in more efforts to ban vaping in public.
The more localized the decision is, the better. Let each establishment decide, or you end up with the government deciding.