Chi-Chi's: Difference between revisions
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The company's slogans were "A celebration of food" and, later, "Life always needs a little salsa."<ref name="fundinguniverse"/> |
The company's slogans were "A celebration of food" and, later, "Life always needs a little salsa."<ref name="fundinguniverse"/> |
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==Bankruptcy |
==Bankruptcy and closure in United States== |
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Chi-Chi's last owner while still in business in the U.S. was Prandium Inc., which had filed for bankruptcy several times, including in 1993 as Restaurant Enterprises Group Inc. and in 2002 as Prandium.<ref name="spector">Spector, Amy. [http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m3190/is_42_37/ai_109271417 "Prandium restaurant brands for sale; Koo Koo Roo, Chi-Chi's file for Chapter 11 - News - Prandium Inc".] ''Nation's Restaurant News.''' October 20, 2003. FindArticles.com. Accessed October 24, 2007.</ref> On October 8, 2003, Chi-Chi's and Koo Koo Roo, another Prandium subsidiary, filed for [[Chapter 11]] bankruptcy themselves.<ref name="spector" /> |
Chi-Chi's last owner while still in business in the U.S. was Prandium Inc., which had filed for bankruptcy several times, including in 1993 as Restaurant Enterprises Group Inc. and in 2002 as Prandium.<ref name="spector">Spector, Amy. [http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m3190/is_42_37/ai_109271417 "Prandium restaurant brands for sale; Koo Koo Roo, Chi-Chi's file for Chapter 11 - News - Prandium Inc".] ''Nation's Restaurant News.''' October 20, 2003. FindArticles.com. Accessed October 24, 2007.</ref> On October 8, 2003, Chi-Chi's and Koo Koo Roo, another Prandium subsidiary, filed for [[Chapter 11]] bankruptcy themselves.<ref name="spector" /> |
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Revision as of 14:02, 1 March 2012
Chi-Chi's is a Mexican restaurant chain in operation in Belgium, Luxembourg, United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Indonesia, and Canada. Chi-Chi's operated in the United States from 1975 until a 2004 bankruptcy. Chi-Chi's also marketed a line of grocery foods (later purchased by Hormel) with an emphasis on salsa.
Founding
Chi-Chi's was founded in 1975 in Richfield, Minnesota, a suburb of Minneapolis by restaurateur Marno McDermott and former Green Bay Packers player Max McGee. [1] From 1977 to 1986, the chain was run by former KFC executive Shelly Frank.[2] When Frank came on, the chain moved its headquarters to Frank's hometown of Louisville. By March 1995, the chain had grown to 210 locations.[3]
Chi-Chi's Master Franchise belongs now to a Swiss company who franchises Chi-Chi's in Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and North Africa, the most representative country being Belgium with 8 units.[4][5]
Management and marketing
In 2001, Chi-Chi's applied for a trademark[6] on the word "salsafication" but was denied by the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board. The company's slogans were "A celebration of food" and, later, "Life always needs a little salsa."[1]
Bankruptcy and closure in United States
Chi-Chi's last owner while still in business in the U.S. was Prandium Inc., which had filed for bankruptcy several times, including in 1993 as Restaurant Enterprises Group Inc. and in 2002 as Prandium.[7] On October 8, 2003, Chi-Chi's and Koo Koo Roo, another Prandium subsidiary, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy themselves.[7]
In August 2004, Outback Steakhouse bid $42.5 million[8] for the rights to buy its choice of Chi-Chi's 76 properties, but did not purchase the Chi-Chi's name, operations, or recipes. On the weekend of September 18, 2004, Chi-Chi's closed all 65 of its remaining restaurants.[9]
Outback had hoped to convert many of the properties to their own restaurants, but instead eventually sold the majority of the properties to Kimco Realty Corporation, a real estate investment trust company in New Hyde Park, New York.[citation needed]
Hormel Foods, who had bought the rights to use the Chi-Chi's brand on grocery products, continues to produce Chi-Chi's salsa and related products, and uses the chichis.com domain name to market them.
Several Chi-Chi's restaurants operate in Belgium, Luxembourg, and Kuwait, with much of the original menu intact.[10]
References
- ^ a b "Chi-Chi's Inc". Funding Universe. Retrieved 2008-10-09.
- ^ Schoifet, Mark (January 27, 1986). "Frank exits Chi-Chi's, plans early retirement". Nation's Restaurant News. Retrieved July 2, 2010.
- ^ Benmour, Eric (June 14, 1996). "Chi-Chi's closes oldest store here as pullback continues". Business First of Louisville. Retrieved July 2, 2010.
- ^ www.chichis.be
- ^ http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chi-Chi%27s
- ^ "Salsafication trademark application" (PDF). Trademark Trial and Appeal Board. Retrieved 2007-05-16.
- ^ a b Spector, Amy. "Prandium restaurant brands for sale; Koo Koo Roo, Chi-Chi's file for Chapter 11 - News - Prandium Inc". Nation's Restaurant News.' October 20, 2003. FindArticles.com. Accessed October 24, 2007.
- ^ Lockyer, Sarah E. (2004). "Chi-Chi's shuts all units; Outback buys site rights: Mexican chain, in Chapter 11, retains brand, operations, recipes, trade secrets". Nation's Restaurant News.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
lockyerwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Chi-Chi's Belgian subsidiary website"