About Us

The founders of Chico’s Mexican Restaurants, Juan Martinez and Bill Alston, searched from Virginia to Florida to find the perfect locations for their restaurants. They opened their first in downtown Greenville, NC in 1983 on Cotanche Street, just across the street from the ECU campus. Great Mexican food, hungry college students, and fun times. Fantástico!

Five years later, they took a chance on a most unusual location. The City of Rocky Mount had shut down one of its power generation facilities on the Tar River, and a developer gutted and renovated the building. Our owners and management decided this was the perfect spot for a Chico’s and their second restaurant was born in The Power Plant.

With an intense focus on providing the very tastiest, genuine Mexican cuisine, our owners and kitchen staff use their own family recipes. These recipes originated in several regions of Mexico known for incredibly good comida. Today, we prepare these dishes in our restaurants using only the freshest ingredients and our secret blends of spices. Chico’s creates a flavor other Mexican restaurants can’t even begin to match. You can always expect an incredible, south-of-the-border dining experience at Chico’s!