If you were one of the folks who loved Chi-Chi’s back in the 1990s, well … there’s good news for you.
The once beloved Mexican restaurant chain is back after 20 years, opening its new flagship location earlier this month in St. Louis Park, Minnesota. The Independent said that the chain’s return was so highly anticipated that it was fully booked with reservations for its opening day.
“Chi-Chi’s is back stronger than ever,” Michael McDermott, founder of Chi-Chi’s Restaurants, LLC, said. “We’re bringing back the food, energy, and fun that people love, now with a fresh twist for a whole new generation. We’re incredibly grateful to our supporters and investors who have helped make this moment possible, and we can’t wait to welcome both familiar and new faces to experience Chi-Chi’s.”
Chi-Chi’s was originally founded in 1975 and once had more than 200 locations across the nation. Its downfall may have come in Pennsylvania, though, when a hepatitis A outbreak at a Chi-Chi’s in the Keystone State killed four people and made more than 650 sick in 2003, according to the Associated Press. That outbreak was later linked back to green onions that were used as a garnish on the salsas.
Around the same time, per the AP, the chain filed for bankruptcy.
There is reportedly a plan to open a second Chi-Chi’s in Minnesota and plans for a franchise model that could bring the chain back to national prominence someday.
As for what the new Chi-Chi’s will be serving up, it looks like the original chimichanga is still on the menu, along with the nachos grande.
Dining and Cooking