Zantigo

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Zantigo was (and is) a chain of fast food Mexican restaurants in the Midwestern portion of the United States. The original chain of that name was a division of KFC. In 1986, KFC was sold by its then-owner, RJR Nabisco, to Pepsico. Since Pepsi already owned a national Mexican food chain, Taco Bell, the decision was made to close or convert all existing Zantigo restaurants.

In many cases, the existing Zantigo assets were in better locations or in better physical condition than nearby Taco Bell locations. Thus, most Zantigo locations continued to remain in business as Taco Bells, with the nearby Taco Bell locations being closed. This led indirectly to the Taco Bell chain as a whole adopting many of the distinctive architectural details of the old Zantigo restaurant buildings.

Zantigo also had several unique menu items - the Chilito, the Taco Burrito, Chips 'n' Cheese, the Cheesarito, and the Mucho Tostada. Of these, the Chilito and Cheesarito were carried over by Taco Bell after the purchase in former Zantigo markets. The Chilito was promoted to a chain-wide item, and was later renamed "Chili-cheese Burrito". The Cheesarito makes occasional special appearances during the Christian holy season of Lent. Its popular counterpart, the Chilito, is still served at Zantigo today.

A new Zantigo chain, under new ownership consisting of former Zantigo franchisees, opened with three restaurants in Minnesota in 1999 and currently has six locations in Minnesota. There was one location in New Richmond, Wisconsin which opened in May of 2005, however they closed in August of 2007 when the owner decided to convert the building into a 1950's style diner. The menu is virtually identical to that of the original Zantigo chain, with numerous additions.

In the late 1970s, after years of complaints by Mexican-American activist groups, the Zantigo chain changed the name and signage of all its restaurants. Previously, it had been known as Zapata, and the signage featured a silhouette of a tall Mexican wearing a sombrero, presumably Emiliano Zapata. The new Zantigo chain was also known as Zapata for the first few years of its existence, and changed its name for similar reasons.

[edit] Chilito

The chilito is a burrito-like tortilla entree that is served at Zantigo restaurants throughout the midwest. It is priced at $1.39. There are two versions of the chilito, hot and mild. The mild contains a red chili sauce, while the hot version contains a green chili sauce.