Chi-Chi’s
In 1975, Chi-Chi’s opened its first store, and by March of 1995 already had 210 locations. “A celebration of food” was its first slogan, later changed to “Life always needs a little salsa.”
The company fell on hard times after a Hepatitis A outbreak at one of their establishments. Kind of like a zombie attack, the outbreak of this sickness killed at least four people and the company struggled to recover.
Casa Bonita
Casa Bonita – which in Spanish is translated as “Beautiful House” – was a chain of Mexican themed restaurants that originated in Oklahoma City.
It was founded by Bill Waugh in 1968. Casa Bonita was known to give its customers a great show and serve good food at the same time, known as “eatertainment.”
Casa Bonita
They had locations in Oklahoma City and Tulsa, as well as in Lakewood, Colorado. There is currently only one location left open, in Lakewood, but it started operating under a different name.
The restaurant enjoyed its 15 minutes of fame after an episode of South Park was titled “Casa Bonita.”
Chi-Chi’s
Their real estate was sold off to Outback Steakhouse, which in turn sold them off to other companies.
They still have a few locations in some parts of the Middle East, and elsewhere across the globe.
House of Pies
The Original House of Pies was a chain of restaurants that was founded in 1965. This sweet joint offered just about any kind of pie you could imagine.
By 1979, the restaurant chain quickly picked up its popularity. In 1986, however, the franchise started going down and then filed for bankruptcy.