Pollo Campero, the fast-casual chicken franchise with 80-plus U.S. locations and another 270 around the world, is in the midst of a major franchise growth strategy. The brand has seen significant sales increases over the past few years thanks to its unique menu and loyal following. Now, with a new strategy to reach more customers by expanding in concentric circles around its established markets, Pollo Campero is set to become one of the most dominant players in the $38 billion fast-casual chicken franchise segment. 

“The opportunity for growth is huge, but we want to be coordinated in that growth,” said Luis Javier Rodas (LJ), Managing Director and COO. “That’s why we’ve worked hard to define where we want to start expanding and which existing markets are primed for growth. 

To define those target markets, Director of Franchise Development  Blas Escarcega, says the team primarily looked for areas in which they could reinvigorate the Pollo Campero brand presence, as opposed to building it from scratch. 

“We have legacy customers — Latin American customers who know the brand from our international footprint — in markets all over the country, and those were the markets we traditionally focused on,” Escarcega said. “Now, what has happened is that we’ve expanded that legacy customer base and realized that the brand has legs to reach more mainstream consumers in the U.S. We want to maintain the legacy piece, while also bringing the opportunity to new customers and developing around the existing markets that we have.”

Rodas says another reason the Pollo Campero brand is ready to embark on this growth strategy is because of the resources it has put into its supply chain in the U.S. “We’ve spent the past 20 years figuring out the supply chain requirements in each market we’ve operated in, making sure we can get our high-quality product to restaurants in a timely manner,” he said. “Now, this will allow us to expand to nearby territories outside of those core markets.”

For the next three to five years, the Pollo Campero team says their expansion efforts will be primarily focused across the Southeast, including the Carolinas, Georgia, Tennessee and North Florida. Additionally, the brand has identified a big growth opportunity in Arizona, as well as a few other markets scattered across the country. The brand will also open more corporate-owned stores, with a particular focus on California and South Florida.  

Escarcega says the Pollo Campero team has also chosen the Southeast because of the average consumer and their eating habits. “These markets have a higher consumption of chicken overall,” he said. “If you look at the footprints of other chicken concepts, their highest concentration tends to be in the Southeast because of the popularity of chicken, specifically fried chicken.”

Overall, Escarcega says Pollo Campero’s growth strategy is about establishing more of a presence in markets where they have already identified unmet demand. “At the end of the day, we are lacking the number of units to keep up with what our customers want,” he said. “We have some customers who have to travel far to visit the closest Pollo Campero, and we don’t want that. We want to plant the seeds that will eventually allow us to bring a Pollo Campero restaurant closer to every hungry customer.”

Escarcega says Pollo Campero ended the past year with 81 total restaurant units in the U.S., including 60 corporate stores, 17 franchise units and four ghost kitchens. Now, he says the five-year plan is to reach 180 corporate units, 85 franchise locations and 10 to 20 ghost kitchens. 

“The past few years have been incredible for Pollo Campero, and our franchise concept is really all about giving new customers the opportunity to try an incredible product,” said Rodas. “Now, as we move forward with a strategic growth mindset, we are eager to bring Pollo Campero to more communities by partnering with qualified franchisees who can build locally owned businesses they can be proud of.”

Initial investments range from $887,250 - $2,126,500*. For more information, visit: https://camperofranchise.com/

*To see the brand’s full reported financials, please reference Pollo Campero’s Franchise Disclosure Document (updated June 7, 2021). 

ABOUT POLLO CAMPERO:

Pollo Campero is a fast-casual restaurant chain focused on delighting guests with better-chicken-offerings. Through its flavor and quality, Pollo Campero offers a unique and convenient feel-good eating experience for individual, group/family and catering occasions. Chicken entrees can be ordered either Campero Fried or Citrus-Grilled, bone in or boneless and paired with an array of fresh sides, drinks and desserts for a complete meal. Pollo Campero started as a small family-owned restaurant in Guatemala in 1971 and has grown to one of the biggest chicken chains in the world.