Chi-Chi's

Fried ice cream and a sombrero on your birthday.

The festive Mexican chain where a birthday meant a paper sombrero, a chorus from the staff, and a scoop of fried ice cream to finish. Baskets of chips, frozen margaritas for the grown-ups, and a party-every-night feel. A deadly 2003 hepatitis A outbreak tied to one location, on top of bankruptcy, shut the U.S. restaurants by 2004.