-40%
Authentic Original Chi Chi's Mexican Restaurant Sombrero Woven Straw Party Hat
$ 49.92
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Description
Listed for sale is this Vintage Original Authentic Chi Chi's Mexican Restaurant Woven Straw Sombrero Hat, with chin strap. I've owned it for the last 36 years. It was placed on my head in the original Chi Chi's Mexican restaurant while celebrating a birthday. It is in excellent condition and has been well preserved. Very Clean, No Holes, No Damage.It is a great advertising collectible relic of the chain Mexican Restaurant. It measures 7 1/2" h X 21" across.
They get credit for really introduced Mexican food to many areas of the United States that were unfamiliar with the food and culture sit down South of the Boarder setting. (SEE COMPANY HISTORY BELOW)
Buy with Confidence !!!
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If you have any question please ask, I am not an expert but will do my best to answer what I can.
Thank you for looking, bidding and buying.
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All items are Sold As-Is, with NO WARRANTY'S, expressed written or implied.
Company History:
Chi-Chi's Inc., owned by Prandium Inc., was a chain of 130 Mexican full-service restaurants that can be found in Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Wisconsin. In addition to company-owned stores, there is also a handful of Chi-Chi's franchise locations. After a booming start in the late 1970s and a growth spurt in the early 1980s, Chi-Chi's sales and store count declined. In the late 1990s and into 2000, the company embarked on a new marketing campaign designed to revitalize the Chi-Chi's image. While the firm remains a well-known player on the Mexican restaurant scene, it continues to face staunch competition in the industry.
Origins
Established in 1975 by Mexican restaurant magnate Marno McDermott and investor Max McGee, Chi-Chi's specialty was Sonoran-style Mexican food. McDermott, a long-time fan of Mexican food, had previously created a fast food concept entitled Zapata Foods after graduating from the University of Minnesota. Believing that there was indeed a demand for a full-service Mexican restaurant in the Midwest, McDermott sought out the help of McGee, a former professional football player who owned the Left Guard Bar/Restaurant in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Together, the pair opened Chi-Chi's Mexican Restaurante in a section of the downtown bar. Chi-Chi's, which took its name from the nickname of McDermott's wife, was an instant success. First year sales surpassed the planned 0,000, climbing to million.
McDermott's good fortune caught the eye of John Stephens, a Minnesota-based stockbroker. Stephens convinced McDermott to sell him the rights to operate and franchise Chi-Chi's restaurants. Shelly Frank, the vice-president of concept development at the Kentucky Fried Chicken fast food chain, was then called upon to run the new restaurant business. In 1977, Frank was named president and CEO, and company headquarters were moved to Louisville, Kentucky--Frank's hometown.
Starting in the early 1980s, Frank drove rapid expansion of company-owned stores. Spurred on by stores which frequently opened to sales of ,000 or ,000 a week, Chi-Chi's spread throughout the Midwest, where they had virtually no competition. From 1981 to 1983, company-owned restaurants soared from one to 46, and profits multiplied eleven-fold from the beginning of the decade to .1 million in 1983. In 1985 alone, 42 new Chi-Chi's opened, with 27 company-owned and 15 franchised. This increased total units by more than one-third, and company-owned units by 50 percent. In 1984, Chi-Chi's net income peaked at 16.7 million. By 1986, Chi-Chi's operated 200 restaurants.