"Delaware Chi-Chi's" might be the saddest phrase ever.

Updates on Chi-Chis in the Mid-Atlantic/Dutch Country, courtesy one DKline:

Surprisingly, with the exception of one locale as far as I know all metro Philadelphia locales were quickly turned into other things:

Exton, PA---a former Ponderosa turned Chi-Chi's quickly became a Cheeseburger in Paradise
Willow Grove, PA--became Carrabba's
Newark, DE--Cheeseburger in Paradise
Allentown, PA sure I think it was torn down for the Lehigh Valley Mall expansion I will check.
Langhorne, PA-Cheeseburger in Paradise

the only one that really sat was Media, PA.....it was boarded up a good few years and the local school district even started using the parking lot as a school bus storage yard. The building has since been torn down sometime in 2007 and the site is now fenced off with a chain-link fence....the lot is still there growing quite a lot of weeds and the cement "pad" for the building is still there and visible indicating where the building once stood. I could get a shot of it if you want if it is still there..haven't been by in a few months.

"Exton, PA---a former Ponderosa turned Chi-Chi's quickly became a Cheeseburger in Paradise."

Dear God in Heaven, the humanity.

ha. fauxdobe.

Bad news: the Alexandria/Rt. 1 Chi-chi's (described here) has been torn down sometime in the past few months. We hadn't been that direction in a long time and had to make a run to Lowe's because of a comical bathroom caulking/remodeling issue (the people that owned our house before us? WORST HOME IMPROVEMENTERS EVER) and bam - 'twas gone. In it's place stands a ridiculously garish TJI Fridays.

It's a crying shame they didn't reuse the existing building, even if it was crumbling into the ground. And they didn't put a Carraba's there? I would have loved to see a fake-Italian-deep-south-carolina-ish-accented chain eating establishment take over the heap of faded 80's day-glo paint and fauxdobe.

See that word, "fauxdobe?" I just made it up. I am funny.

Chi-Chis auction: Pasadena, MD

From the awesome Adam in MD:

I found some pictures online of the Chi-chi's I used to work at an auction website (note that there are two pages):

Chi-Chi's Photos

The restaurant was bought fairly quickly after it closed, and was renovated into a Carraba's Italian Restaurant. Carraba's only occupies a section of the building though, with the unoccupied part I assume still in its original condition.

Feel free to post any of this on the blog.

Please note my hatred for Carraba's, but only because of their radio commercials. I've never actually eaten at a Carrabas. I'm a pathetic evil snob like that. Also, how did they renovate only part of the building? Is the other half still crumbling stucco? I can only hope.

I also just realized I have used the word "awesome" in every single post. I plan to continue to do so. Sorry, internet.

"don't drink the water, drink the margaritas!"

a wonderful gentleman named David from Madison, Wisconsin; sends in these:








My favorite by far is the terrible margarita mural. Because everyone likes to be reminded of explosive diarrhea bad Spring-Break-in-Tijuana-or-whatever-water gives you while dining out. Dining out in Madison, Wisconsin.

Anyways, awesome! Thanks David.

An awesome guy named Rob sent these photos from Flint, Michigan:

"I RECENTLY HAD TO MAKE A TURN AROUND TO GET MY STARBUCKS COFFEE ON BUSY MILLER ROAD IN FLINT AND DECIDED TO SNAP THESE PHOTOS WITH MY CELL PHONE. IT APPEARS SOMEONE HAS MADE HOME AT THE ONCE-BUSY ENTRANCE OF WHERE I USED TO WORK."

Do I spy BEDDING in there? Rad.

i totally forgot about this brilliant project and plan to resurrect it one of these days

i have cleaned up comment spam!

Any photos of creepy abandoned chi-chis? Please send them to me:

pyginablanketATgmail.com




Thanks!