Beaver Valley Mall - Chi-Chi's/Hepatitis A Outbreak

Chi-Chi's/Hepatitis A Outbreak

Beaver Valley Mall was the scene of the largest hepatitis A outbreak in U.S. history, when 660 people contracted the virus and 4 people died after eating at the defunct Chi-Chi's Mexican restaurant during the months of October and November in 2003. After a long investigation, it was discovered that Green onions imported from Mexico were the cause of the outbreak. The outbreak did not affect restaurants that were outparcels on the mall property, but did affect the food court tenants for a period of time.

Chi-Chi's, as a business, has since gone out of business and its location in the mall had been taken by another Mexican restaurant called "The Three Amigos," but that closed as well and it is now El-Campo. Part of the old restaurant site has since been used to build Dick's Sporting Goods.