Chi-Chi's is Coming Back

A while back I did a deep-dive roundup on old restaurant chains. I have two updates.

Firstly, the Friendly's that was near me that was barely hanging on has since closed. As I noted then, there was nothing I could do.

Secondly, and more importantly, Chi-Chi's is coming back. From wikipedia:

On December 3, 2024, it was announced that the restaurant chain will re-launch in the United States in 2025. Michael McDermott, son of original owner, Marno McDermott, will lead and operate the new restaurants under Chi-Chi's Restaurants, LLC. Hormel Foods, the current owner of the Chi-Chi's trademark, has allowed the use of the Chi-Chi's name for the physical restaurant locations. A few months later, McDermott announced that he will convert his two Rojo Mexican Grill restaurants in St. Louis Park and Maple Grove to the revived Chi-Chi’s brand.

As far as I can tell, the St. Louis locations are the only announced locations. Stay tuned. 

Roy Rogers Restaurants Still Exist

 

Driving on the highway on Saturday, I see a sign saying that there was a "Roy Rogers in X Miles." I says, "There's an old sign that needs to be taken down." But once I reached my destination, I looked it up. It is real. Roy Rogers Restaurants still exist and there is one within 45 minutes driving.

I am a lazy man, by nature, but I'm saying now that I'm going to try to go there and report back.

When I was a kid we went to Roy Rogers all the time but I considered it an extinct franchise. It made me think, what other franchises might also be available. Here are some of the ones that came to mind.

• Roy Rogers - Still exists, in a fraction of the country. They have a store if you want to buy shirts or hats.
• Orange Julius - Also still exists! They were bought by Dairy Queen. The locations page on their website just yields an error but you can try google maps.
• Little Caesar's - Still around, I think they're trying to make a comeback by making the cheapest pizza in the world. Not sure if it'll work. I was a huge fan but tried it recently and didn't real feel the old feelings.
• Boston Market - Still hanging on. I was a fan and tried to support them and every time I do there are definite problems with quality and consistency. If they're not good enough to keep a hardcore fan like me, I don't think they'll last much longer.
• Cinnabon - Still appears to be going strong. You have to figure their reliance on malls is putting a squeeze on their business. I have a plan that the next time I have something to celebrate, I'm going to do the most decadent thing I can think of: order Cinnabon delivery. Any day now...
• Chi-Chi's - Fully extinct as a restaurant but they sell a line of food products online. I loved Chi-Chi's.
• Ground Round - Went bankrupt, name was bought and trying to make a comeback. Only a few locations exist.
• Pizza Hut - Of course it still exists, what I mean is: perhaps the most "of its time" restaurant I can think of is the sit down/dine-in Pizza Hut. Are those still around? They still exist but the closest to me is about an hour away and it's not the same without the old decor anyway.
• The Sizzler - Still exists but only on the West Coast.
• Ponderosa/Bonanza - They're the same company and they still exist. None around me.
• Friendly's - They're still around. Similar situation to Boston Market - I love them, would gladly be a regular customer but I think the quality has slipped and it's hard to keep going back. Plus, I can't find anyone who wants to go to Friendly's with me and I don't want to go alone.

A few more recent notes. I was a huge Quiznos fan. Those are still around but I suppose the franchise is on the decrease. There isn't one anywhere close to me. I was also a huge fan of Moe's Southwest Grill, I think those are decreasing also but I'm not sure. Bennigan's is down to 12 locations in the U.S. and Applebee's is still around though I don't understand how.