Houston area to get Pollo Tropical
Fans of Taco Cabana’s fast-casual Mexican food soon can try the Caribbean-inspired cuisine of the chain’s sister brand, Pollo Tropical.
Known for its citrus-marinated chicken and black beans and rice, Miami-based Pollo Tropical will soon make its debut in the Houston area and San Antonio. But it’s already broken ground on its first Texas location near parent company Fiesta Restaurant Group’s headquarters in Addison, a suburb of Dallas.
The first local Pollo Tropical is expected to open in Pearland in late April, Danny Meisenheimer, Pollo Tropical’s chief operating officer, said. Two other local stores are also planned.
With more than 100 current locations in Florida, Georgia and Tennessee, Pollo Tropical offers platters, sandwiches, wraps and other items. Each restaurant makes several sauces from scratch, including cilantro garlic and curry mustard.
Caribbean food
“We look forward to opening our first Pollo Tropical in Houston, and sharing our passion for great Caribbean food and culture,” Meisenheimer said. “Texans may see our name and think of TexMex, but it’s not. Pollo Tropical offers something completely different — a one-of-a-kind experience with a uniquely Caribbean twist on fresh, healthy, hand-prepared foods you feel good about eating.”
Before Pollo Tropical opens in San Antonio and the Houston area, it will host several sampling events across both cities, Meisenheimer said.
“The food does the talking for us,” he said, adding: “We’re a very Latin-centric brand but also a general market brand, so we have appeal with both audiences.”
As Pollo Tropical aims to win customers in Texas, Taco Cabana, which has 41 locations in the Houston area, similarly hopes to pick up ground in its sister brand’s backyard.
The company also spent two years developing a new format, called Cabana Grill, which it will launch in Snellville, Ga., next month and Jackson- ville, Fla., this summer.
“Texas is packed with competition. There are plenty of authentic Mexican food options here,” said Todd Coerver, chief operating officer of Taco Cabana. “That’s a little more novel once you get outside of Texas and a little harder to find.”
Cabana Grill
At a higher price point, Cabana Grill will feature fresh salsa bars similar to those at Taco Cabana and offer some of the same entrees, including chicken and steak fajitas.
The main difference, however, will be Cabana Grill’s lack of a breakfast menu.
“That’s the major thing we’re holding back,” Coerver said. Breakfast tacos “just didn’t resonate in the research outside of Texas, which is really such a shame, but their loss, right?”
Fiesta brands
For now, Taco Cabana plans to focus on the Snellville and Jacksonville markets before it decides whether to expand in the Southeast. Meanwhile, Pollo Tropical will continue to build new restaurants in the San Antonio, Houston and Dallas areas.
According to Coerver and Meisenheimer, expanding into each other’s territories allows Fiesta’s brands to grow more efficiently.
The companies now can save money on packaging, advertising and food sourcing.