Food and Drink: Taco Reho exiting Middletown; Chi-Chi's returns to hometown

 "After an unforgettable year, our Middletown location will take its final bow on Wednesday, January 1st. While closing the doors at Middletown is a bittersweet decision, the show will continue on at our Rehoboth Beach location. To our Middletown community, thank you for your love and support throughout the past year. To our Middletown team, thank you for your dedication and passion and for being a part of the Taco Reho story."

 Taco Reho, which specializes in California-style tacos, remodeled a former fast food restaurant in the fast-growing approach the same approach it took on Coastal Highway near Rehoboth after outgrowing a taco truck location.

 Taco Reho's owner is La Vida Hospitality, which also operates Crooked Hammock brewery-restaurant locations in Middletown, Lewes, and North Myrtle Beach. Other concepts include a Big Chill seasonal beach club in Bethany Beach, a Bill Chill cantina on Coastal Highway, and a catamaran now operating in the Bahamas.

 A Chi-Chi's comeback?

 You might remember the Chi-Chi's restaurant across the highway from the Delaware Tech Stanton Campus, south of Newark.

 For a time, it was a popular dining and a popular nightspot in the busy area near Christiana Mall.

 The Mexican food chain grew from a restaurant in the Minneapolis area to 200 locations, including the Delaware outpost. Its stronghold was the upper Midwest, but found success out east.

 Like many mid-sized chains, Chi-Chi's went through various owners as the number of locations shrunk. The final blow came from hepatitis cases in the Pittsburgh area traced to onions.

Two decades after the last Chi-Chi's closed, the son of one of the founders plans to bring the restaurant back in more than one location.

 Michael McDermott, a restaurant industry veteran, received permission from Spam and global food giant Hormel to use the name.

 The first locations will be in Minnesota Twin Cities, the area where Chi-Chi's got its start.

 Minnesota-based Spam maker Hormel owns Chi-Chi's food line, which survived the chain's closing.

 "I still have fond memories of growing up in the Chi-Chi's restaurants that my father built throughout their time, instilling in me the passion and determination to pursue my own career in the restaurant", McDermott stated in a press release.

Mexican restaurant chains have struggled due to the skills and ingredients needed from an extensive menu. Family-owned cafes that keep menu prices down and add a touch of authenticity are formidable competitors.

 Chi-Chi's is not the only comeback story. Roy Rogers, which shrunk dramatically over the years, was in the news recently with plans to open a location in Cherry Hill, NJ.

 In the 1980s, Roy's locations were popular in northern Delaware, serving roast beef, burgers, and fried chicken.

 Currently, Roy's locations are mainly in Maryland, Virginia, and the Pennsylvania Turnpike.