Pollo Campero, the 350-unit international chicken franchise established in Guatemala, is working to expand on the 80-plus locations they have in cities across the U.S. At the center of that effort is Richard and Mavel Summers, who have been on a mission since 2007 to bring the grilled and fried chicken menu to the Atlanta area.
The Summers own three successful Pollo Campero locations — in Atlanta, Marietta and Norcross. They got into the business because Richard wanted a change of pace after many years in law and the couple wanted an opportunity to work together on a new venture. During their time researching opportunities and different franchise ownership options, Pollo Campero came across their radar.
Richard swears by the rich flavor profile of the chicken. In fact, it’s what convinced him to become a franchisee. When he and Mavel were visiting her home country of Honduras, a large sign with Pollo Campero’s chicken cowboy mascot caught his eye, and he asked her about it. She told him it’s “the best chicken you've ever had in your life.” Richard thought Mavel must have been exaggerating, but he tasted the chicken himself and came to the same conclusion.
“I tried it, and it was truly amazing. It was different; it was fantastic,” Richard said. “That flavor profile and the quality was what attracted us. It’s something that just can't be duplicated anywhere.”
He began looking into ownership opportunities in the U.S. and saw that there were already a number of stores operating in major cities like Los Angeles, New York, Washington, D.C., and Miami. The chain strives to be in larger metropolitan areas with big populations of what they call legacy customers, which are patrons who are originally from places like Central America, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Costa Rica. Richard says there is a sizable demographic of legacy customers in the Atlanta area, the territory he and Mavel signed on for.
“We have a theory that if we can just get people in the restaurant to try our product and experience our service and quality once, they're going to be drawn to come back,” said Richard. “That's how we've grown candidly, through organic growth of exposing the Campero name to as many people as possible, who then become very loyal customers.”
Blas Escarcega, the director of franchise development for Campero USA, agrees that the food sells itself. As the company eyes expanding in the United States, he thinks the fried and grilled chicken franchise will do exceedingly well in the Southeast.
“We have great opportunities in the U.S.,” Escarcega said. “Chicken as a category continues to grow and do well, especially here in the southeast. We're going to focus with our franchise partners such as Richard and Mavel to create sustainable growth. We couldn't be happier to have remarkable franchisees like them as part of the team.”
Escarcega said that Pollo Campero has already seen impressive operations during the first few months of 2022, with several leases signed and a number of locations set to open this year. The brand hopes to add 250 units in the next five years, which it is “well on the way to accomplishing,” he said.
Richard and Mavel will be a critical part of that growth. They have three locations open out of a five-unit contract, so they are busy searching for the perfect area in the Atlanta metro to attract new patrons and generate high customer retention. Converting people who have never tried Pollo Campero into fans of the franchise is Richard’s favorite part of the business.
“We are engaging the community, we're in the restaurants, we're meeting our customers and we really try hard to tell our story to them so they know who we are,” Richard said. “Many times people come in saying ‘What is this?’ and then we have an opportunity to engage them. It's all about connecting with those folks who don't know about us, and keying them into our brand. And we do that every day.”
“Mavel and Richard have a very solid base of understanding of the consumer and the pockets of growth. Overall, we couldn't be happier with what they've done for the brand in the Southeast,” Escarcega said. “They have been really great franchise partners for us for many, many years. They have the passion that we look for and really exemplify the brand’s qualities.”
While the delicious chicken piqued their interest, the intense involvement and dedication of the company sold the partnership to the couple. The Summers have been pleased with how attentive the company is.
“Corporate provides amazing support,” Marvel said. “Whatever we need, we have people in every department that will support us and listen to our needs.”
“We feel the leadership and Campero USA have been so superb to work with,” Richard added. “The team has passion for the brand and all have the same goal. They view us as partners, and they provide such incredible leadership to us.”
He believes that anyone who is driven by success can be coached by the Campero team to do well.
“If operating in the right market, any franchisee can do very, very well profit-wise,” he said. “This brand really has great quality, corporate support and it's very easy to learn. They teach you everything necessary so that you will be prepared to succeed.’
Initial investments range from $887,250 - $2,126,500*. For more information, visit: https://camperofranchise.com/
Pollo Campero
SPONSORED
All it took was Richard Summers tasting the chicken at the international QSR franchise. With that, he and his wife, Mavel, were determined to join the brand and help expand its reach in the U.S.
Pollo Campero, the 350-unit international chicken franchise established in Guatemala, is working to expand on the 80-plus locations they have in cities across the U.S. At the center of that effort is Richard and Mavel Summers, who have been on a mission since 2007 to bring the grilled and fried chicken menu to the Atlanta area.
The Summers own three successful Pollo Campero locations — in Atlanta, Marietta and Norcross. They got into the business because Richard wanted a change of pace after many years in law and the couple wanted an opportunity to work together on a new venture. During their time researching opportunities and different franchise ownership options, Pollo Campero came across their radar.
Richard swears by the rich flavor profile of the chicken. In fact, it’s what convinced him to become a franchisee. When he and Mavel were visiting her home country of Honduras, a large sign with Pollo Campero’s chicken cowboy mascot caught his eye, and he asked her about it. She told him it’s “the best chicken you've ever had in your life.” Richard thought Mavel must have been exaggerating, but he tasted the chicken himself and came to the same conclusion.
“I tried it, and it was truly amazing. It was different; it was fantastic,” Richard said. “That flavor profile and the quality was what attracted us. It’s something that just can't be duplicated anywhere.”
He began looking into ownership opportunities in the U.S. and saw that there were already a number of stores operating in major cities like Los Angeles, New York, Washington, D.C., and Miami. The chain strives to be in larger metropolitan areas with big populations of what they call legacy customers, which are patrons who are originally from places like Central America, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Costa Rica. Richard says there is a sizable demographic of legacy customers in the Atlanta area, the territory he and Mavel signed on for.
“We have a theory that if we can just get people in the restaurant to try our product and experience our service and quality once, they're going to be drawn to come back,” said Richard. “That's how we've grown candidly, through organic growth of exposing the Campero name to as many people as possible, who then become very loyal customers.”
Blas Escarcega, the director of franchise development for Campero USA, agrees that the food sells itself. As the company eyes expanding in the United States, he thinks the fried and grilled chicken franchise will do exceedingly well in the Southeast.
“We have great opportunities in the U.S.,” Escarcega said. “Chicken as a category continues to grow and do well, especially here in the southeast. We're going to focus with our franchise partners such as Richard and Mavel to create sustainable growth. We couldn't be happier to have remarkable franchisees like them as part of the team.”
Escarcega said that Pollo Campero has already seen impressive operations during the first few months of 2022, with several leases signed and a number of locations set to open this year. The brand hopes to add 250 units in the next five years, which it is “well on the way to accomplishing,” he said.
Richard and Mavel will be a critical part of that growth. They have three locations open out of a five-unit contract, so they are busy searching for the perfect area in the Atlanta metro to attract new patrons and generate high customer retention. Converting people who have never tried Pollo Campero into fans of the franchise is Richard’s favorite part of the business.
“We are engaging the community, we're in the restaurants, we're meeting our customers and we really try hard to tell our story to them so they know who we are,” Richard said. “Many times people come in saying ‘What is this?’ and then we have an opportunity to engage them. It's all about connecting with those folks who don't know about us, and keying them into our brand. And we do that every day.”
“Mavel and Richard have a very solid base of understanding of the consumer and the pockets of growth. Overall, we couldn't be happier with what they've done for the brand in the Southeast,” Escarcega said. “They have been really great franchise partners for us for many, many years. They have the passion that we look for and really exemplify the brand’s qualities.”
While the delicious chicken piqued their interest, the intense involvement and dedication of the company sold the partnership to the couple. The Summers have been pleased with how attentive the company is.
“Corporate provides amazing support,” Marvel said. “Whatever we need, we have people in every department that will support us and listen to our needs.”
“We feel the leadership and Campero USA have been so superb to work with,” Richard added. “The team has passion for the brand and all have the same goal. They view us as partners, and they provide such incredible leadership to us.”
He believes that anyone who is driven by success can be coached by the Campero team to do well.
“If operating in the right market, any franchisee can do very, very well profit-wise,” he said. “This brand really has great quality, corporate support and it's very easy to learn. They teach you everything necessary so that you will be prepared to succeed.’
Initial investments range from $887,250 - $2,126,500*. For more information, visit: https://camperofranchise.com/
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