The Dallas Morning News: How Dallas-Based Pollo Campero Plans To Dominate the Chicken Business in the U.S.

After opening its 100th U.S. restaurant this month, Pollo Campero, the Central American chicken franchise, is looking forward to major expansion across the country. Pollo Campero launched its U.S. headquarters in Dallas in 2007 and has been steadily growing ever since. Now, the brand’s parent company, which is over 100 years old, plans to invest $190 million in growth over the next few years.

“We have a loyal following of Central Americans who are very passionate about the brand, not only because it is fresh food, but because they have memorable experiences when they go to the restaurants growing in their countries,” Blas Escarcega, vice president of franchise development, told The Dallas Morning News. “When we open a restaurant here in the U.S., people get excited because they say, ‘Oh, that’s my brand, that’s home.’”

As Pollo Campero has grown throughout the U.S., it has added more familiar dishes to the menu to appeal to American diners. It has long offered coleslaw in U.S. restaurants, and it recently added a new mac and cheese side to the menu.

“We’re not only expanding to have more presence, but we are also adding things to the menu so our customers have more relatable things to order,” Escarcega said. “When people say chicken, I want them to say Pollo Campero.”

Escarcega said that he has noticed a trend among younger customers, noting that they are more interested in trying new foods and experimenting with different cultures.

“This has allowed us to enter the more mainstream consumer [market] here in the U.S., but you also bring along our legacy customers,” he said.

Read the full article here.