Pollo Campero has long tradition of unique food, successful operations

Pollo Campero is an international QSR brand with family values for a family business. What started in Guatamala in 1971 has since expanded to several other countries, including Ecuador, Spain and the U.S., with stateside headquarters in Dallas, Texas. Worldwide, the brand has approximately 350 units, with 82 in the U.S. AUV sits at $1.9 million.

Last year was a record year with record profits, according to Blas Escarcega, director of franchise development. QSRweb reached out to Escarcega in a phone interview to learn what's behind the brand, how it competes in a crowded chicken field and why freshness is considered its secret ingredient.

Q: Tell us a little about Pollo Campero's origin story. How did the company get started?

A:They are an integrated business with multiple business units, including the poultry division. And from the poultry division it was a vertical opportunity to expand into the restaurant (industry). The founders really took it upon themselves (to learn) how they could not only service people who consume chicken at home, retail and supermarkets but also how can they enjoy it. And that's where the idea of Pollo Campero came about, of vertically integrating the product to the restaurant business.

Q: Why enter the U.S.?
A: It really started from very humble beginnings and it's grown to a significant, iconic brand in Central America. It's something that is generational in a sense that multiple generations have experienced the growth over the years in Central America, and that has led to a popular request to grow here in the U.S. … It's an addicting product. It's able to reach more masses here in the U.S. just simply because of … people who have come from Central America to the U.S.

Q: Let's talk about your menu. Chicken is never frozen. How important is freshness to the brand?

A: Freshness is really the secret ingredient for us, the "secret sauce" as they say. We believe — and it's been very successful for us — that maintaining the quality and the freshness and the QA standards during the process are very important. It starts with the marination of the chicken before it comes to the restaurant. It's something that we're very careful with our suppliers to ensure the integrity of what we're asking. … We also maintain the secret recipe that's in the breading. That's really what makes it very special. … It's something that's unique with spices. It's more tasty, more juicy, more crunchy. It really carries itself well in the sense that the quality is maintained through. It's something that we take very seriously. Chicken is really the hero of the menu. … We have a mixture of several menu items that really promote the brand in a flavorful way, in a unique way, and really brings the flavor of Central America and other parts of the world to the U.S.

Q: How are you keeping labor costs down with such a focus on freshness and making so much in house?

A: One, we've tried to optimize our kitchen. We want to make sure that the prep work and everything we've done in the back of the house is as efficient as possible. Two, we've also partnered up with suppliers to ensure if there are things that we can do more efficiently and effectively without sacrificing the quality that will allow us to service our customer but maybe in a more efficient manner. … And then we always look at — even with our prototypes and layouts — how we can improve the handling and the workflow of employees in the back of the house to ensure that we continue to be efficient with our equipment … and also the execution by very thorough training. We continue to see improvement in the back of the house, even with these challenging times and very high labor costs, but I think automation is something we've tried to work in as much as possible in areas that we can in ways that will not hurt the brand in terms of quality.

Q: How did Pollo Campero handle the chicken shortages and price increases of 2021?

A: Working very closely with our suppliers. We have an excellent relationship with our suppliers. We also could see in our forecast that we were going to have challenges with the supply chain given that it's not just us but the whole restaurant industry. We realized first-hand that it was important to partner with our suppliers to ensure that product was available to us. … We were very good at pivoting during COVID. It wasn't perfect, but I can honestly say that the disruption that could have been was minimized. It's really a relationship with our partners, and also understanding the logistics of our restaurants and working with our franchisees.

Q: Did you have to raise your prices as a result?

A: We've had to increase our prices. We always want to make sure we take into consideration our consumer. We all have competitors that we compete with, but we also want to make sure that we price it so there's still a value proposition. We've had to understand our consumer, but also make sure it's a value so they want to come to Campero. We have increased prices, but overall, we've tried to mitigate those price increases because we want to make sure the customer is No. 1.

Q: The chicken market is a crowded field. What sets Pollo Campero apart from its competition?

A: I think it's a couple factors. One, the uniqueness of the brand is that it's international, and now I think you're seeing many of the newer generation wanting to experience flavors of the world. I think we bring that to the table in the sense that our product is Central American with sides (like yucca, plantains and street corn salad) that are very unique, whether it's fried chicken or a citrus Peruvian grilled chicken that we have.

We also believe that the ambience of the restaurant, the colors — the logo of the brand itself is unique — it's something we've worked very hard over the years to maintain the integrity of the brand, and we continue to do that with the next brand revisions that we're doing.

In the chicken category, we believe we're in a sweet spot that we can provide international flavor, Central American opportunities for people to experience our culture and our foods, and I think that's where we want to be. At the end of the day, we believe that's been the success of the brand since we've operated here in the U.S.