Chi-Chi's announces comeback decades after hepatitis outbreak

Chi-Chi’s, the once popular Mexican restaurant chain shuttered after a fatal hepatitis outbreak in Western Pennsylvania, is preparing for a comeback.

According to CNN, Hormel Foods, the owner of Chi-Chi’s trademarks, said it has a deal with Michael McDermott, the son of the brand’s founder, that will allow McDermott to open restaurants under the Chi-Chi’s name starting next year.

“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 said in a press release. “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 founded in Minnesota in 1975 by Marno McDermott and Green Bay Packers player Max McGee, and grew to more than 200 locations, according to CNN.

Chi-Chi’s vanished from the dining scene in the early 2000s after a deadly hepatitis A outbreak linked to green onions and a Beaver County location.

The outbreak, which sickened hundreds and led to deaths, precipitated a bankruptcy filing and closure of all its restaurants. It remains the largest hepatitis A outbreak in American history — at least 650 people were sickened and four died.

The 2003 hepatitis A incident at a location in Center Township, was traced to contaminated green onions, according to the Beaver County Times.

All restaurants were shut down in 2004.

There’s no information yet on where the new Chi-Chi’s restaurants would be located or exactly when they would open.