Pollo Tropical facts for kids
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A Pollo Tropical Express Restaurant in 2022
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| Subsidiary | |
| Industry | Restaurants |
| Genre | Latin American, Caribbean, and Floribbean cuisine |
| Founded | 1988 (original) (Miami, Florida) |
| Founder | Larry & Stuart Harris |
| Headquarters | Doral, Florida |
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Number of locations
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125 (FL) (2019) 17 (PR) (2022) |
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Key people
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Dirk Montgomery (CEO) |
| Products | Mojo grilled chicken, black beans, yellow rice, yuca and other Latin-style dishes. |
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Number of employees
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5,600 (2017) |
| Parent | Cajun Operating |
Pollo Tropical is a popular restaurant chain that started in South Florida. Its name is Spanish for "Tropical Chicken," which gives you a big clue about its most famous dish! The restaurant makes food inspired by the sunny flavors of Latin America and the Caribbean.
The chain is famous for its chicken, which is soaked in a special sauce called a marinade and then grilled. It also serves many tasty side dishes. These include black beans and rice, mojo roast pork, and other foods popular in the region.
Contents
The Story of Pollo Tropical
Pollo Tropical was started in 1988 in Miami, Florida, by two brothers, Larry and Stuart Harris. Larry was very interested in Latin American cooking. He read many cookbooks and tested recipes on his backyard grill until he created the perfect marinade for his chicken.
A key part of their plan was to grill the chicken right where customers could see it. This showed that the food was fresh and not pre-made. By 1993, the company had eight restaurants and became a public company, which means people could buy shares of it on the stock market.
Growing and Changing
The company grew very quickly, opening 19 new restaurants in just one year. Some of these were far from Florida, in cities like New York and Chicago. However, most of these new locations closed down within a year.
In 1998, a company called Carrols Restaurant Group bought Pollo Tropical. Carrols is best known for running many Burger King restaurants. After this, Pollo Tropical grew again. It opened many more restaurants, including some in Latin America and the Caribbean that are run by other business owners through a system called franchising.
Today, Pollo Tropical is owned by the Fiesta Restaurant Group, Inc. The company has its main office, or headquarters, in Doral, Florida. It runs over 140 restaurants in Florida and has locations on some college campuses. There are also 32 franchised restaurants in places like the Caribbean, Central America, and South America.
What's on the Menu?
The main attraction at Pollo Tropical is the fire-grilled chicken. But the menu has a lot more to offer! You can also find other regional favorites like:
- Mojo Roast Pork
- Rice and beans
- Cheesy Yuca Bites
- Plantains (a type of banana that is cooked)
In 2018, the restaurant added fried chicken to its menu, giving customers another option besides the classic grilled chicken.
Challenges Outside of Florida
In 2017, Pollo Tropical faced some challenges. Sales went down in its restaurants in Texas, so the company decided to close its locations in cities like Dallas and Houston. It also closed restaurants in Georgia and Tennessee.
The company realized it had grown "too far, too fast." It decided to slow down and focus on Florida, which is its main market. While many people see Pollo Tropical's grilled chicken as a healthy choice compared to burgers and fries, its unique Caribbean taste was not as well-known in other states. This made it harder to attract new customers outside of Florida.
See also
- Chicken restaurant
- List of chicken restaurants
