Business & Tech
Chi-Chi's To Reopen Restaurants After 20 Years
The chain was co-founded in 1975 by former Green Bay Packers player Max McGee and served the Twin Cities for nearly three decades.
MINNESOTA — The long-defunct Minnesota-based restaurant chain Chi-Chi’s is staging a comeback, the brand announced Tuesday.
Hormel Foods, which owns the Chi-Chi's trademark, has struck a deal with restaurateur Michael McDermott to use the name on eateries beginning next year. Hormel for years has used the Chi-Chi's moniker on various Mexican items sold in grocery stores nationwide.
"I still have fond memories of growing up in the Chi-Chi's restaurants that my father built throughout their time, instilling in me the passion and determination to pursue my own career in the restaurant industry," McDermott, the son of Chi-Chi's co-founder Marno McDermott, said in a news release.
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"We have seen the impact our restaurant has had on individuals and families across the country and believe there is a strong opportunity to bring the brand back in a way that resonates with today's consumer — an updated dining experience with the same great taste and Mexican flavor.”
Chi-Chi’s was co-founded in 1975 by former Green Bay Packers player Max McGee and served the Twin Cities for nearly three decades. Its parent company, Hormel Foods, is also based in Minnesota.
Find out what's happening in Minneapolisfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
In keeping with its roots, the first two revitalized restaurants are set to open in 2025 in Minnesota, with the chain planning to expand across the Midwest and East Coast, Michael McDermott told the Star Tribune.
At its peak in 2003, Chi-Chi's had more than 200 locations nationwide. That was before a hepatitis outbreak that was traced to people eating contaminated green onions at a Chi-Chi's at the Beaver Valley Mall outside Pittsburgh.
According to Food Safety News, ultimately there were four deaths and more than 650 confirmed cases of hepatitis A linked to that particular Chi-Chi's location. The victims included at least 13 restaurant workers and residents of six other states.
Two decades later, it remains the nation's largest hepatitis outbreak.
The incident sounded the death knell for the chain, which already had declared bankruptcy.
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