Chi-Chi’s Mexican Restaurant Reopens in Minnesota After 20 Year Closure

(KNSI) — Chi-Chi’s Mexican restaurant is set to make a return next week with the opening of its first location in Minnesota.

Michael McDermott, the son of the brand’s co-founder Mamo McDermott, is at the helm and “ready to welcome the fans familiar and new to experience the brand’s revitalized energy.” According to a press release, the company is bringing back the food, energy, and fun that people loved, “now with a fresh twist for a whole new generation.”

The new location is in the trendy West End area of St. Louis Park and opens for business on Monday, October 6th, with more locations planned in the future.

“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.”

More than 2,000 fans of the restaurant have already invested over $2.3 million through the brand’s equity crowdfunding campaign on StartEngine.

Chi-Chi’s started as a single location in Richfield that opened in 1976, and the name is the nickname of the co-founder’s wife. By 1995, it had grown to 210 restaurants in the U.S. Ownership changed hands a few times, and through a series of misfortunes, Chi-Chi’s closed all of its remaining locations in 2004. A line of branded foods through Minnesota-based Hormel kept the flavors alive.

The menu will feature some of the most popular dishes from the first run, such as the original chimichanga, along with “enhanced menu items” and upgraded bar service. (Side note: their strawberry watermelon margarita slaps. At least it did on my 21st birthday way back when.)

___