// Workers AI · dad joke modeWhat did Pollo Campero say to the egg? "Fowl" in love.
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| Type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Fast food |
| Founded | April 28, 1971 in Guatemala[1] |
| Headquarters | , United States |
Number of locations | About 400 worldwide[2] |
Area served | Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, the United States, Mexico, Ecuador, and Spain[3] |
Key people | José Gregorio Baquero (CEO)[4] |
| Products | Fried chicken, grilled chicken, chicken sandwiches, empanadas, salads, bowls, side dishes, and beverages[5] |
Number of employees | 8,000+[2] |
| Parent | Corporación Multi Inversiones |
| Website | www |
Pollo Campero is a Guatemalan fast-food restaurant chain specializing in fried and grilled chicken. The name is commonly translated from Spanish as "country chicken".[6] Founded in Guatemala in 1971, the chain is part of Corporación Multi Inversiones (CMI), a Guatemalan family-owned conglomerate.[2] CMI states that the brand operates in Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, the United States, Mexico, Ecuador, and Spain, with about 400 restaurants worldwide and more than 8,000 employees.[2][3]
History
[edit]Pollo Campero developed from the Gutiérrez family's poultry and restaurant businesses in Guatemala. In 1967, the family opened a restaurant selling fried chicken, and on April 28, 1971, the first official Pollo Campero restaurant opened in Guatemala.[1] According to a 2014 case study in Management Decision, the chain expanded to El Salvador in 1972 and to Honduras in 1992.[6]
In the 1990s, Pollo Campero began using franchising to expand outside its original markets. The company created a franchise program in 1997, which supported openings in Panama and later in Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Ecuador, and Mexico.[6] By 2000, the chain had 143 restaurants and nearly 6,000 employees, making it one of the most internationalized Latin American fast-food chains at the time.[6]
The company continued to add new formats and services as it expanded. CMI has described Pollo Campero as introducing self-service in 1980 and home delivery in 1995.[7] In 2007, Pollo Campero opened a restaurant in Shanghai, its first location in China.[8]
United States expansion
[edit]Pollo Campero's entry into the United States was influenced by its popularity among Guatemalan and Salvadoran consumers, including a tradition of passengers carrying boxes of the chain's chicken on flights from Central America to the United States.[9][10] The company opened its first U.S. restaurant in Los Angeles in April 2002.[11] A Management Decision case study reported that the first U.S. restaurant generated $1 million in sales during its first 22 days.[6]
The chain's early U.S. growth was concentrated among Central American immigrant communities, where the brand had strong nostalgic appeal.[6][10] The Los Angeles Times reported in 2021 that travelers continued bringing Pollo Campero chicken from Central America to the United States even after the chain had opened U.S. restaurants.[10]
Pollo Campero's U.S. division later expanded beyond its early diaspora-focused markets. In 2024, QSR Magazine reported that the company had opened 17 U.S. locations in the first half of the year and had celebrated its 100th U.S. restaurant in Miami Gardens, Florida.[12] In February 2025, CMI announced the opening of Pollo Campero's 122nd U.S. restaurant, located inside Penn Station in New York City.[5] By July 2025, CMI stated that Pollo Campero had more than 130 U.S. restaurants in more than 60 cities across 20 states.[4]
Corporate affairs
[edit]Pollo Campero is part of CMI Foods, the food business group of Corporación Multi Inversiones.[2] CMI identifies José Gregorio Baquero as CEO of Pollo Campero and Juan José Gutiérrez Mayorga as chairman of CMI Foods.[4][5]
Pollo Campero International is headquartered in Dallas, Texas. In 2016, the company moved its Dallas office from a 6,800-square-foot (630 m2) space in Lincoln Center to a 12,633-square-foot (1,173.6 m2) space in the Hidden Grove office building in North Dallas.[13]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- 1 2 Luna, Nancy (December 9, 2023). "Pollo Campero wants to be the next chicken sensation in the US". Business Insider. Retrieved May 8, 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 5 "Pollo Campero" (in Spanish). Corporación Multi Inversiones. Retrieved May 8, 2026.
- 1 2 "CMI - Corporación Multi Inversiones" (in Spanish). Corporación Multi Inversiones. Retrieved May 8, 2026.
- 1 2 3 "Harvard Business School presenta caso de estudio sobre la expansión de Pollo Campero en Estados Unidos" (in Spanish). Corporación Multi Inversiones. July 23, 2025. Retrieved May 8, 2026.
- 1 2 3 "Pollo Campero opens its doors at Penn Station, New York". Corporación Multi Inversiones. February 21, 2025. Retrieved May 8, 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 Brenes, Esteban R.; Chattopadhyay, Amitava; Ciravegna, Luciano; Montoya, Daniel (2014). "Pollo Campero in the USA" (PDF). Management Decision. 52 (9): 1649–1679. doi:10.1108/MD-09-2013-0498. Retrieved May 8, 2026.
- ↑ "Pollo Campero celebrates 50 Years and invites everyone to Countless sharing". Corporación Multi Inversiones. April 29, 2021. Retrieved May 8, 2026.
- ↑ "Pollo Campero abrirá su primer restaurante en China el 24 de mayo". El Economista (in Spanish). EFE. May 19, 2007. Retrieved May 8, 2026.
- ↑ Gonzalez, David (September 20, 2002). "Guatemala Journal; Fried Chicken Takes Flight, Happily Nesting in U.S." The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved May 8, 2026.
- 1 2 3 Mejia, Brittny (April 14, 2021). "Why flights from Central America often have the enticing aroma of fried chicken". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 8, 2026.
- ↑ "Pollo Campero celebra 20 años de operación en Estados Unidos" (in Spanish). Corporación Multi Inversiones. May 2, 2022. Retrieved May 8, 2026.
- ↑ "Pollo Campero Opens 17 Locations in First Half of 2024". QSR Magazine. July 29, 2024. Retrieved May 8, 2026.
- ↑ Kezar, Korri (September 1, 2016). "Dallas chicken chain spreading its wings at a new headquarters". Dallas Business Journal. Retrieved May 8, 2026.
External links
[edit]
- Official website
- Pollo Campero USA
- Pollo Campero Guatemala (in Spanish)
