{"id":369,"date":"2025-10-29T01:54:13","date_gmt":"2025-10-29T01:54:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cupcake.website\/?p=369"},"modified":"2025-10-29T01:54:13","modified_gmt":"2025-10-29T01:54:13","slug":"chi-chis-returns-after-20-years-but-do-customers-actually-want-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cupcake.website\/?p=369","title":{"rendered":"Chi Chi&#8217;s Returns After 20 Years\u2014But Do Customers Actually Want It?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div data-journey-body=\"standard-article\">\n<ul data-node-id=\"0\" class=\"css-kw9lqy emevuu60\">\n<li data-node-id=\"0.0\">Chi-Chi\u2019s has reopened with a flagship in St. Louis Park, Minnesota, after 20 years, with plans for additional locations.<\/li>\n<li data-node-id=\"0.1\">Some fans are celebrating its nostalgia, while others have moved on to more independent Mexican spots.<\/li>\n<li data-node-id=\"0.2\">Many say its success will hinge on standout food quality.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<hr data-node-id=\"1\" class=\"css-18pb4rg emevuu60\"\/>\n<p data-journey-content=\"true\" data-node-id=\"2\" class=\"css-6wxqfj emevuu60\">Earlier this month, nostalgic Mexican chain Chi-Chi&#8217;s announced its triumphant return after 20 years. &#8220;We&#8217;re bringing back the food, energy, and fun that people love, now with a fresh twist for a whole new generation,&#8221; said founder Michael McDermott. While the chain has opened only one flagship location in St. Louis Park, Minnesota, for its relaunch, the company plans to add more locations in the future. And while some people are totally stoked to see this childhood favorite return, others aren&#8217;t as optimistic.  <\/p>\n<p data-journey-content=\"true\" data-node-id=\"3\" class=\"css-6wxqfj emevuu60\">&#8220;I know I&#8217;m probably in the minority but yeah, I&#8217;m very excited. Huge part of my childhood,&#8221; one person wrote in a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reddit.com\/r\/nostalgia\/comments\/1nzmdqh\/chichis_is_back_iconic_mexican_restaurant_chain\/\" target=\"_blank\" data-vars-ga-outbound-link=\"https:\/\/www.reddit.com\/r\/nostalgia\/comments\/1nzmdqh\/chichis_is_back_iconic_mexican_restaurant_chain\/\" data-vars-ga-ux-element=\"Hyperlink\" data-vars-ga-call-to-action=\"Reddit\" data-node-id=\"3.1\" class=\"body-link css-1i7jlb0 emevuu60\">Reddit<\/a> thread. &#8220;I can&#8217;t wait to go!!!!&#8221; another <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reddit.com\/r\/nostalgia\/comments\/1h6r18l\/chichis_mexican_restaurants_set_to_return_20\/\" target=\"_blank\" data-vars-ga-outbound-link=\"https:\/\/www.reddit.com\/r\/nostalgia\/comments\/1h6r18l\/chichis_mexican_restaurants_set_to_return_20\/\" data-vars-ga-ux-element=\"Hyperlink\" data-vars-ga-call-to-action=\"exclaimed\" data-node-id=\"3.3\" class=\"body-link css-1i7jlb0 emevuu60\">exclaimed<\/a>. Many former patrons waxed poetic about the chain&#8217;s beloved fried ice cream, hoping it makes a triumphant return to the menu. &#8220;Fried ice cream was a show stopper,&#8221; one person <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reddit.com\/r\/nostalgia\/comments\/1n1232v\/was_chi_chis_good_or_just_nostalgia\/\" target=\"_blank\" data-vars-ga-outbound-link=\"https:\/\/www.reddit.com\/r\/nostalgia\/comments\/1n1232v\/was_chi_chis_good_or_just_nostalgia\/\" data-vars-ga-ux-element=\"Hyperlink\" data-vars-ga-call-to-action=\"shared\" data-node-id=\"3.5\" class=\"body-link css-1i7jlb0 emevuu60\">shared<\/a>. However, beyond that handful of customers of yesteryear, many people are less than enthused at the chain&#8217;s rebirth. <\/p>\n<section data-embed=\"editorial-link\" data-lazy-id=\"P0-14\" data-node-id=\"4\" class=\"embed\">\n<aside class=\"css-1fm2v8u e94w1mj9\">\n<h6 class=\"css-18s47pf e94w1mj7\"><span aria-hidden=\"true\" data-theme-key=\"title-design-element-before\" class=\"css-0 eagam8p0\"\/><span class=\"css-8lle59 e94w1mj5\">Related Story<\/span><span aria-hidden=\"true\" data-theme-key=\"title-design-element-after\" class=\"css-0 eagam8p1\"\/><\/h6>\n<\/aside>\n<\/section>\n<p data-journey-content=\"true\" data-node-id=\"5\" class=\"css-6wxqfj emevuu60\">&#8220;It won\u2019t have that dark, cosy theme anymore. It\u2019ll be sterile and unappealing. Meant to get you in and back out as quickly as possible,&#8221; wrote one person. &#8220;Chi-Chis was cool back when there were no other Mexican restaurants. Now it&#8217;s just corporate Tex-Mex,&#8221; commented another.<\/p>\n<section data-embed=\"watch-next\" data-lazy-id=\"P0-15\" data-node-id=\"6\" class=\"embed\"\/>\n<p data-journey-content=\"true\" data-node-id=\"7\" class=\"css-6wxqfj emevuu60\">Many also mentioned the hepatitis outbreak that led the chain to shutter. &#8220;I live near the Chi Chis that killed people, so I&#8217;m not too excited about their return,&#8221; said one person. &#8220;Got sick after eating there 20 years ago. Worst 24 hours of my life,&#8221; stated another.<\/p>\n<p data-journey-content=\"true\" data-node-id=\"8\" class=\"css-6wxqfj emevuu60\">A lot of the criticism of the relaunch comes down to changing times. Twenty years ago, it was harder to find decent Mexican food in many parts of the country; now, the United States is a true melting pot, serving some of the best Mexican food you can get. &#8220;It is very rare to get good Mexican food from a chain restaurant, especially considering there are SO MANY little hole-in-the-wall places, food carts, or roadside pop-ups that absolutely slap way harder. Support your local family-run Mexican food businesses and leave the chains to die out with the boomers,&#8221; one passionate person wrote on Reddit.  <\/p>\n<p data-journey-content=\"true\" data-node-id=\"9\" class=\"css-6wxqfj emevuu60\">&#8220;Pretty sure this is destined to fail. Nostalgia will get a decent bit of people back initially but unless they come back with amazing food they won&#8217;t have any staying power,&#8221; another echoed. <\/p>\n<p data-journey-content=\"true\" data-node-id=\"10\" class=\"css-6wxqfj emevuu60\">One person summed it up: &#8220;Yay to things we never asked for or wanted.&#8221;<\/p>\n<section data-embed=\"editorial-link\" data-lazy-id=\"P0-16\" data-node-id=\"11\" class=\"embed\">\n<aside class=\"css-fcvumo e94w1mj1\">\n<div data-theme-key=\"carousel-container\" aria-roledescription=\"carousel\" role=\"region\" aria-live=\"off\" aria-labelledby=\"PP0-16-0\" class=\"css-vzlvvm e1kgjrvy4\">\n<p><h2 id=\"PP0-16-0\" data-theme-key=\"carousel-hed\" class=\"css-4i2xvz e1kgjrvy5\"><span aria-hidden=\"true\" data-theme-key=\"title-design-element-before\" class=\"css-0 eagam8p0\"\/>More Chain Restaurant News<span aria-hidden=\"true\" data-theme-key=\"title-design-element-after\" class=\"css-0 eagam8p1\"\/><\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<p><br \/><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Chi-Chi\u2019s has reopened with a flagship in St. Louis Park, Minnesota, after 20 years, with plans for additional locations. Some fans are celebrating its nostalgia, while others have moved on to more independent Mexican spots. Many say its success will hinge on standout food quality. Earlier this month, nostalgic Mexican [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":370,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-369","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-food-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cupcake.website\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/369","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cupcake.website\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cupcake.website\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cupcake.website\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cupcake.website\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=369"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/cupcake.website\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/369\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cupcake.website\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/370"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cupcake.website\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=369"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cupcake.website\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=369"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cupcake.website\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=369"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}