This is not your grandfather’s Kentucky Fried Chicken, unless of course, your grandfather hails from Guatemala.
Pollo Campero, the popular Latin American fast-food chicken franchise, is set to open its first restaurant in the Washington, D.C.-metropolitan region in Herndon sometime in early fall.
Like its more familiar American counterpart, Pollo Campero serves its "traditional recipe" and extra-crispy chicken, but any similarities with that white haired colonel from the Blue Grass state end there.
"What can I say? It is very tasty and good quality. Those, like me, who grew up on Campero chicken will never forget it," said Roberto Lasala, the director of marketing for American Pollo LLC, the Annandale-based franchiser. "It’s got that Latin American flavor. It’s slowly marinated recipe soaks into the chicken for extra flavor."
Lasala immigrated from his native-Guatemala two years ago. He grew up watching the Campero chicken cartoons and eating its chicken, and side dishes. Now, Lasala is helping to bring a little bit of his culture to Northern Virginia. "It’s part of the culture down there. When people have parties and family celebrations or car trips, they bring Campero chicken and our clients are tremendously loyal," he said. "I miss home, but I am enjoying bringing a little home back with me to share with people here."
According to the company, customers have bought more than 3 million "to go" orders from airport stands in Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Ecuador and Mexico.
Lasala said it was a natural progression for the company to plant roots in this country. "We decided to open in the United States because we started to notice that the taste of chicken in the U.S. did not have that flavor," Lasala said. "When people from El Salvador would visit their relatives in America, the family members here would say that, ‘You’ve got to bring some Campero,’" Lasala said. "It’s the perfect gift for homesick immigrants, it really reminds them of home."
Their chain’s characteristic orange "to go" boxes became regular and familiar sites on international flights. The practice is so commonplace that Grupa TACA, a Salvadoran airliner, requested that Pollo Campero sell its aromatic chicken in airtight containers because the smell was overpowering flights from El Salvador to the United States, Lasala confirmed. In addition, many airports in Central and South America opened take-out restaurants to cater to the United States-bound passengers. "There a big store at the Guatemala airport and the San Salvador airport," he said. "It’s very much a part of the Central American culture. People there are proud of the restaurant. People here miss it."
THERE ARE MORE than 180 Pollo Campero restaurants in nine countries, most in Central and South America. One year ago, the company, seeing an opportunity, brought its chicken stateside when it opened up its first restaurant in a heavily-Latino neighborhood in Los Angeles. It paid off. In less than two months of operation, the Los Angeles franchise racked up more than $1 million in gross sales. It subsequently opened its doors in Houston to similar success. "It just started selling like crazy here. There were lines out the block. It’s ‘fast food’ but people were waiting in lines for up to three hours," Lasala said. "It’s contagious. It’s a craze. It’s a phenomenon, that’s the best way to describe it."
According to the company’s Web site, more than 6,000 people packed the Los Angeles store when it opened on April 20, 2002. The service was extended until 4 a.m. to serve people who had waited up to nine hours in line.
The Herndon Dulles Chamber of Commerce is eager to see the ‘phenomenon’ come to Herndon. "We were very excited that Pollo Campero will be calling Herndon home," said Ellen Kaminsky, a chamber spokesperson. "Given their proven track record and Herndon’s large established Hispanic and Latino market, I think they will be very successful. We’re delighted."
With traditional American fast food in a slump, industry behemoths McDonald's and Wendy’s have recently purchased popular Mexican food franchises Chipotle and Baja Fresh, respectively. Both companies recently opened franchises in Reston, but this fall, Pollo Campero, complete with its signature chicken in a cowboy hat, brings its Latin flavor, famous tortillas and sugary churros to Elden Street in Herndon.
IN THE NEXT FIVE YEARS, Lasala hopes to open 15 stores in the metro region and an additional 200 nationwide. American Pollo plans to open many of the first few area restaurants in communities, like Herndon, with large Hispanic and Latino immigrant populations, many of whom will be familiar with the product from their native countries.
"We will start by getting clients into our doors who already know our chicken, but this product appeals to all tastes," Lasala said. "Ultimately, our target demographics include everybody. It really positions itself to families, all families."
Lasala said he is anxious to move into his 496 Elden St. store. Most recently, the location housed Moseley’s Burgers. "We are excited that Herndon will be first, we really like the area — everyone has been so friendly," he said. "We have been treated so well."
Herndon is not Los Angeles or Houston, Lasala said. The franchiser said he makes it a point to adapt to the communities he is entering, therefore the Elden Street restaurant will not have a drive-thru. "We want to be respectful to the town’s wishes and traditions," he said.
The location is directly across from the El Mercadito Hispano grocery store and within walking distance of the proposed temporary day-laborer site at the old Herndon Lumber site on Van Buren Street. "I think this restaurant will be a bridge between cultures in Herndon," Lasala said.