Chili’s closes Springfield restaurant
Updated 10:47 AM;
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Signage has been removed from the restaurant building at 302 Cooley St.
Two large dumpsters packed with material from the eatery were parked outside Friday morning.
Calls to the Texas-based restaurant chain were not immediately returned.
Customers at the West Springfield location were told that the Springfield restaurant had permanently closed earlier this week.
There are 19 Chili’s locations in Massachusetts and about 1,600 worldwide.
The casual dining chain was founded by Larry Lavine in 1975 and is currently owned by Brinker International, which also operates the Maggiano’s Little Italy restaurants.
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The Family Who Sold Tex-Mex to America
The Cuellars were leading the rise of the chain restaurant.
Anyone who was a kid in the early ’60s remembers the opening of Six Flags Over Texas in Arlington. The 212-acre amusement park, built by local real estate developer Angus G. Wynne Jr. and opened on August 5, 1961, changed the way Dallas played. Families, dates, and packs of kids roamed the streets that wove through six distinctive entertainment sections: Spain, France, The Confederacy, Texas, United States, and Mexico.
It wasn’t hard to find Mexico. The aroma of Mexican food filled the air. All you had to do was take a right at the goat cart ride and follow your nose. It took you right to El Chico, the 11th restaurant opened by the Cuellar family.