5 companies that put themselves out of business

CANOE -- CNEWS - Daily Feature: 5 companies that put themselves out of business

5. Chi-Chi's

Chi-Chi's, a Mexican-themed restaurant, started out in 1976 and thrived, despite the fact that Mexican cuisine wasn't widely popular at the time. The company became a huge success and grew rapidly. The success of Chi-Chi's led to a large number of competitors through the 1980s and '90s, which ate into Chi-Chi's market share significantly and forced it to file for bankruptcy in late 2003. Shortly afterward, the company's final death blow came from a massive Hepatitis-A outbreak linked to a Chi-Chi's location in Pennsylvania. At the time, the outbreak was the largest in U.S. history, with more than 650 confirmed cases linked to green onions the restaurant had served, which resulted in four deaths. Although the sickness was not linked to the staff or cleanliness of the restaurants, a number of large settlements were paid out to many of the affected patrons, forcing the company said adios to its North American business. Chi-Chi's still operates in a handful of other countries.