Chi-Chi’s was the No. 1 mall rat destination across the nation. After a hard day shopping or playing the arcades, it was an oasis amid the concrete.
Chi-Chi’s was a happening place, always packed and loud and friendly. This was before the days of texting, when teens actually talked face-to-face, often over a shared plate of seafood nachos. Little did they know their parents were there in a side room, ordering the signature chicken fajitas. The appeal was spreading.
By 2000, it looked like a franchise slam dunk, perhaps the new McDonald’s of Mex. Chi-Chi’s sprouted near every major shopping mall in the country. It grew so fast and was so heavily leveraged that investors were dumping their stock as per-store revenues declined.
This problem has claimed many food chains. They start out a bonafide hit and then expand too fast and on borrowed money. All it takes is a little up tick of the interest rates and they’re finished.
A public health emergency hastened Chi-Chi’s death dive. In October 2003, Pittsburgh emergency rooms were hit with an outbreak of hepatitis A. The only clue was that all the patients recently had eaten at the Beaver Valley Mall Chi-Chi’s.
Within three weeks, three customers were dead and 600 infected, including 13 employees. Some 9,000 customers who ate there took immune globulin shots.
Medical detectives narrowed the cause to uncooked green onions used as a garnish on many Chi-Chi’s entrees.
The chain imploded under a flood of liability lawsuits. It shuttered 139 restaurants almost overnight. The final 65 closed over a weekend in 2004.
The Outback Steakhouse chain bought most of the restaurants, but only the prime locations. Chi-Chi’s packaged food operation, mostly salsa and canned goods, was bought by Hormel and survives.
Hepatitis was the chain’s killer, but the trend was down anyway. Chi-Chi’s sold an American version of Mexican food. Then Mexicans began dominating the category, offering authentic recipes from their nation’s kitchens. They cost Chi-Chi’s a vast number of customers.
Supposedly, Chi-Chi’s recipes were stolen by a fired employee. They occasionally show up on the Internet and still have a large following.
Chi-Chi’s Chili Con Queso
1 pound Velveeta cheese
3/4 teaspoon granulated garlic
4 1/2 ounces canned diced green chilies, drained
3/4 ounce canned diced jalapeño, drained
3/4 ounce fresh diced green pepper
2 3/4 ounces canned red peppers, diced and drained
Cut processed cheese into chunks no more than 1 inch thick. Spread cheese pieces evenly in the bottom of a microwavable dish large enough for all ingredients. Spread all remaining ingredients evenly over the top of the processed cheese.
Cover with a microwavable plastic lid and microwave on high for 2 minutes. Stir. Repeat the microwave process and stirring process until melted. Serve with your favorite tortilla chips.
Chi-Chi’s Margarita Marinade
(For chicken fajitas, marinate overnight)
10-ounce can diced tomatoes with green chilies, drained
1/4 cup orange juice
1/4 cup tequila
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon minced fresh garlic
1 teaspoon grated lime peel
In large, plastic food bag, combine all ingredients except meat. Mix well. Add meat, seal the bag and turn over several times to coat meat thoroughly. Place bag in refrigerator, turning bag occasionally for eight hours or overnight.
Preheat broiler. Remove meat from marinade, reserve marinade. Place meat on broiler pan. Broil 7 to 8 inches from heat source until desired doneness. In small saucepan, bring marinade to a boil, boil one minute. Serve marinade with the meat.
Use with 2 pounds pork tenderloin, chicken breasts, beef tenderloin or flank steak.
Makes 6-8 servings.
Chi-Chi’s Mild Salsa
14-ounce can stewed tomatoes
2 large green onions, chopped
1 large tomato, cored and diced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Dash of Tabasco hot sauce to taste
Cut up stewed tomatoes and combine in saucepan with onions, fresh tomato, salt and pepper. Bring just to a boil. Lower heat and cook for 3 minutes. Put half of mixture through a blender to mince but not to puree. Return to remaining half of mixture. Cool and refrigerate tightly to use in a few weeks. Freezes well for 6 months.
For hot salsa, add 1 teaspoon canned green chopped chilies or to taste.
Chi-Chi’s Seafood Nachos
16 large tortilla chips
8 ounces cooked crab meat
8 ounces cooked lobster meat
12 ounces cooked salad shrimp
2 cups Monterey jack cheese, shredded
Spread tortilla chips on a 10-inch, wax paper-lined paper plate. Layer the crab, lobster and shrimp over the chips. Sprinkle with cheese. Microwave at 50 percent until cheese melts, 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 minutes.
Serve with salsa or picante sauce.
