March 31, 2025 • 39 mins
In this episode of the Restaurant Technology Guys podcast, host Jeremy Julian welcomes back a returning guest from Pollo Campero. They discuss sustainable growth, entering new markets, and engaging guests through modern platforms. The guest, Pollo Campero’s VP of Franchise Development, shares insights on brand expansion, customer experience, and leveraging technology. They delve into the brand's strategic efforts during the pandemic, including implementing a mobile app, optimizing kitchens, and expanding customer experience programs. The episode highlights Pollo Campero’s growing presence in the U.S., their marketing strategies to connect with younger generations, and the importance of supply chain logistics. The conversation also touches on the integration of automation and AI in their operations and the significance of maintaining strong supplier relationships.
00:00 Audio Pollo Campero
00:59 Introduction and Welcome
01:30 Guest Background and Experience
02:27 Brand Evolution and Growth
06:39 Unique Dining Experience
09:54 Market Expansion Strategy
14:17 Supply Chain and Distribution
17:20 Engaging Younger Demographics
22:22 Customer Experience and Feedback
24:46 Pandemic Impact and Recovery
29:47 Technology and Innovation
35:04 Long-term Vision and Partnerships
37:30 Conclusion and Contact Information
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:02):
This is the RestaurantTechnology Guys podcast, helping
you run your restaurant better.
Jeremy Julian (00:14):
In today's episode we are joined by second
time guest and the guy that'scontinuing to grow along with
his team the Pollo Compero brandin the United States.
He and I talk a lot about whatsustainable growth looks like,
how to enter new markets with abrand that may not be
recognizable in a certainregion, and how They continue to
(00:35):
engage with our guests usingmodern platforms to ensure that
their franchisees and theirbrand itself is sustainably
growing across the U S.
Uh, if you don't know me, myname is Jeremy Julian.
I am the chief revenue officerfor CBS Northstar.
We sell the Northstar point ofsale solution for multi units.
Please check us out atcbsnorthstar.
(00:56):
com and now onto our episode.
Welcome back to the RestaurantTechnology Guys podcast.
I thank everyone out there forjoining us.
A long time listeners willrecognize the face and or the
name.
We've got a familiar story, butI'm excited to, to share some of
the things that have been goingon, within the world of Pollo
Campero.
plus you want to introduceyourself real quick, cause
you've got a fantastic history,both with that brand and a
(01:19):
little bit of background, andthen we can talk for those that
are less familiar with.
the brand that you're workingwith now.
So why don't you give everybodya little bit of an introduction
to you and your history, andthen, let's talk a little bit
about what you've been up tomost recently.
Blas Escarcega (01:30):
Thanks, Jeremy.
It's great to be here.
a little bit about mybackground.
I'm the vice president offranchise development.
So I've been in that role forthe last little over three
years.
before that, I was 15, 14, 15years as the director of finance
here at Pueblo Campero.
So I'll be hitting my 18thanniversary actually in February
next month.
I've been here since thebeginning when we opened our
(01:51):
first restaurants here in the US.
In the office.
So it's been, it is been a greatride.
Great growth.
Before I was in, in variousindustries and the beverage
industry, the oil and gas andthe real estate, and then I did
public accounting.
So I had a well-roundedbackground.
But really at the end of theday, I love the brand and the
restaurant industry most.
(02:11):
So I'm most excited andespecially here at Po Campo.
Since our beginning here in theUS, as far as our operations and
our office in 2007, we've beenreally, excited about the
growth, especially in 2024.
So thank you for having me.
Jeremy Julian (02:26):
Yeah.
And again, like I said, at thebeginning, longtime listeners
will remember, you and I thinkJose were on the, On the air
back in 2022.
And, I guess since then, whydon't you talk a little bit
about how the brand has evolvedand how it's changed a little
bit, for those that, that youheard that show two years ago,
two and a half years ago, andwhere we're at now, and then
we'll get into a little digginga little bit deeper into kind of
(02:48):
what is Boya Compero for thosethat had heard that and are
looking to see, see what thenew, new and exciting things
that you guys have going on.
Blas Escarcega (02:54):
Yeah.
When we look back the lastcouple of years, the last time
we were on the show, we'recoming out of the pandemic.
So we had to go through adifferent mindset during the
pandemic.
And then you had to re you hadto pivot to come out of that.
So what happened during thatphase is we really came out
stronger.
out of the pandemic.
We were able to really implementa lot of great initiatives.
(03:16):
whether it's the mobile app,third party delivery, we were
optimizing our kitchen.
We wanted to make sure that wereduce the number of steps our
employees were taking.
we spent a lot of time andeffort with customer experience.
We expanded that programsignificantly so that we would
respond 100 percent to all thecomments that we received,
whether it was on social mediaor directly through our website.
(03:39):
So we did, a lot of initiativesduring that phase.
we also looked at opportunitiesto grow the brand.
during the pandemic, we weren'tnecessarily growing.
We wanted to plan the growth andunfortunately it kinda halted us
for about a year, but we stillhad the plans in place to really
accelerate the brand.
(03:59):
so from 2022 to today.
We're at 121 units.
I think back then we're probablyin the eighties number,
Jeremy Julian (04:07):
78 or 82, something like that, somewhere
around there.
Blas Escarcega (04:10):
so you can see that we've really been able to
grow the brand during those last2 3 years.
We've also been able to enternew markets.
We grew in Orlando.
We expanded significantly inMiami.
we expanded in Manhattan and NewYork City.
We were there, but we expand alot more.
And then I think last time wetalked about we were looking at,
(04:32):
Southern California, mostlyAnaheim, Orange County area.
So we built our units there.
In fact, we're gonna open inAnaheim location next month,
which is exciting.
We love the California market.
We've been there the longestsince 2002.
We were able to do that.
we also were able to, hiretalent, as part of the growth
engine.
You need to make sure that youhave the right people in place
(04:52):
and they have the right tools.
So we invested in people andtools and processes and
procedures to really allow us togrow.
So those were the initiativesthat we did that allowed us to
really grow to last year wherewe had 29 units.
So that's something that reallywe, we hit out of the ballpark
for lack of better words.
where we had been 5 to 10 unitsduring the prior, 10 to 12
(05:16):
years.
We really hit it where weexceeded not only what we've
done historically, but it alsoallowed the platform for our
growth going forward.
And this year is another year.
when you look at what youdelivered last year, that's
something that is parked and,and filed away.
So now it's what are you gonnado for us this year?
and we're excited because wecontinue to see that.
Not only are we growing as abrand and we're growing as far
(05:39):
as our people and giving themopportunities.
But we're also seeing the brandrecognition.
And I think since the last twoor three years, we have seen a
lot more brand recognition, notonly when I go out to shows and
conferences, but also when we goout and look at development
opportunities, now brokers andlandlords and real estate
developers know who we are.
(06:00):
So it's a long answer, butbecause we've done so much, it's
something that we have been ableto accomplish.
And we also know that we stillneed to, deliver the results and
also, deliver an opportunity fornew consumers to come and try
us.
Jeremy Julian (06:15):
Yeah, so for those that haven't gotten a
chance to try, you guys aregetting to a place where the
brand is recognizable.
I can tell you truthfully, otherthan the fact that I had moved
to DFW and this is your U.
S.
based headquarters, prior tobeing here, I didn't know who
you guys were.
You'd reached out to be on theshow.
Excited to have you guys on andlearn the story, but now it
feels like I see you guyseverywhere.
So for those that Have yet toget to the place where they've
(06:36):
been able to experience what youguys have to offer.
Walk our listeners through whatis the experience?
Is it just your standard chickenplace?
I know it's not, but I'd lovefor you to talk a little bit
about what makes Boyo Comperounique and different.
That, has such a cult following,quite frankly, because the part
that I love about it, and we'lltalk a little bit about how that
continues to travel, but whenyou talk to people about it,
(06:59):
that have experienced it,they're like, Oh, my gosh, it's
amazing.
So if you could give us just afew minutes on what is the
experience when guests come in.
Blas Escarcega (07:06):
Yeah, and really what it is, Jeremy, it's really
our roots, which are in CentralAmerica and Guatemala.
we've been around over 50 years,so it's not a brand that is new.
it has been in the US since2002, and when I talk to people
about what is PO mean to me orto you possibly as a new
consumer, it really brings an,an opportunity to bring the
(07:29):
flavors of Central America.
It also allows to bring theculture of family.
And friends to the brand.
we believe strongly in, infamily meals.
We believe in, strongly in, inhaving, the more the merrier,
eating at the table.
It's something where we tend toshare and enjoy different
flavors.
So the brand is beyond just,here's your food, eat it, and
(07:52):
leave.
We want you to enjoy visitingour restaurants, which means we,
you have to get a great customerexperience from our employees.
You have to visit cleanrestaurants, lit, execution,
operational excellence is veryimportant, but we also want you
to take a little bit of who weare, which is.
Found it in Guatemala, greatfood, great recipes, great
(08:13):
flavor.
And at the end of the day, it'sthe tender, crunchy, juicy fried
chicken that everyone cravesbecause to your point, once you
taste it, you become somewhataddicted to that flavor.
And it's something that you wantto have on a regular basis for
those that have had it.
And that's what has led to thenostalgic appeal of Pollo
Campero, especially to CentralAmericans who have come from
(08:36):
Central America to the US.
It brings back a little bit oftheir home, country, their home
feelings or nostalgic,background when they experienced
that growing up, but we're alsoallowing future generations here
in the U S of central Americansand crossover consumers from
Maine to really enjoy, whatwe're all about.
(08:56):
And it's like having a.
A thanksgiving dinner at thetable where you have everyone
around.
Everyone's sharing sides.
Everyone's enjoying the food.
Everyone's talking.
Everyone loves the ambience ofthe restaurant and the colors
and just a service level.
So we really focus on bringing alittle bit of home.
and what we're all about inGuatemala, and that's really
what's been successful for us aswe transition into new markets
(09:20):
and grow the base, not onlywhere we've been historically,
but into future markets as wego.
So it's been a great story.
and I can tell you this,everybody who I talked to really
loves the food.
Really loves the ambiance,really loves to visit our
restaurants and there's a greatenergy that we wanna create when
people come to our restaurants.
Jeremy Julian (09:37):
Yeah.
And I know, you and I talkedprior to hitting the record
button about our team down in ElSalvador and they just love,
cause I know you guys have gota, central American presence and
our team in El Salvador justloves your guys product down
there as well.
when they come to visit, it'sone of the places that they'd
like to go to, cause they get ataste from home while they're,
while they're here in theStates.
So help me understand how youguys consider new markets.
Cause I've been in the space asyou have for a long time.
(10:00):
and I've watched brands go intonew markets and fail.
I've watched brands go into newmarkets and take over.
You talk about the growth, youtalk about the fact that you
guys have expanded since wetalked just a couple of years
ago into at least four newmarkets that I know of and have
been successful.
Talk to me as the guy that's inthe tip of that spear, how do
you consider that and how do youconsider going into a new
(10:20):
market?
Where Boyo Compero is not a namethat is a known name brand
everywhere, or it might be in avery small sub segment, but you
can't just sell to CentralAmericans in New York, or you
can't just sell to CentralAmericans and still make a
living.
So help me understand, what doyou, what types of things do you
guys consider and what is thethought process behind going
into new markets, for ourlisteners that are out there?
Blas Escarcega (10:43):
Yeah.
The new markets, we think of itvery carefully.
We have a lot of, demographicinformation, site analytics
software that lets them know,where do people live?
What's a growth projection?
But we also know where we'vebeen successful.
So we, what we try to do is growadjacent to where we're at.
We don't necessarily want to goeverywhere immediately.
We would love to, but it's notfeasible.
(11:05):
It doesn't make sense.
So what we try to do is focus onwhat are areas around what we're
currently successful.
Is there a market for that?
Is there an ability to expand?
Yes.
the other thing that we look at,which we tend to know where our
current customers are coming to,for example, coming from, we
have a Rogers, Arkansaslocation.
(11:26):
We know people come from Omaha,Nebraska, from Kansas City.
They drive hundreds of miles tocome eat our chicken.
We have data that proves to it,proves it to us.
We have people that go from SaltLake City to Denver to Las Vegas
because that's the closeststore.
We have people in Phoenix thatgo to Los Angeles.
So what we try to do is, wealready have the footprint
(11:49):
across the U.
S.
of where we exist.
How do we fill in those marketswhere we're not too far out?
of our comfort zone as far aswhere we're successful, but we
tap into new consumers.
So that's allows us by knowingwho comes and visits us, where
they're coming from.
So it makes it a little biteasier.
For example, when we're goinginto Tampa, we know that people
(12:12):
travel from Tampa all the waydown to Miami and now they go to
Orlando.
So Tampa would be a very easy,opportunity for us to go in the
market.
Now we're probably going toexpand as we go north.
we also tend to want to go inareas where there's economic
growth, population growth thatwe know people are relocating
maybe from California.
(12:33):
to different parts of thenation.
We also know that the Southeastregion, which we're heavily
going to be developing, not onlyin Miami, but Atlanta, and we
have a franchise in NorthCarolina and Tennessee, they
consume chicken at the highestpercentage.
So we want to be in that marketbecause we believe there's
enough room for all of us.
(12:53):
So there's different variablesthat we use to say, is it
economic sense?
Is our core customer there?
Or do we have people travelingfar away to some of our existing
stores?
is there a, is it a businessfriendly environment?
Is there a situation where wehave a following of Campero fans
that exist?
Maybe they're not the biggest,but they do travel, but they
(13:16):
eventually become.
Ambassadors of the brand andthat's where it helps us deliver
the experience to people whodon't know us because they might
know family members They mightbe married to somebody or they
travel like yourself Maybe toCentral America and you say I've
seen that brand I've experiencedin Central America.
Now, they're here locallyWhereas maybe you wouldn't have
(13:37):
thought about it in the pastbecause we weren't there.
and of course everything goesthrough, site analytics as far
as, the, what's the five yearlook like, who lives here, our
core customers here are noncore, retail competitors.
So we look at all that.
And at the end of the day, we doour best to make sure that we
have.
The best site that we're not outpositioned when we build that
(14:00):
location where we're going tobe.
We don't want to be outpositioned by competitors.
So we want to make sure thatwe're in the right spot and
that's been successful for us inthe last couple of years.
Jeremy Julian (14:10):
Yeah, I love the idea that you have that you guys
go site adjacent, meaning, it'swithin kind of a local regional
area.
Talk to me a little bit abouthow you guys even consider
supply chain.
I've got some good friends thatare at in and out.
and over the years they've grownfrom California and they
continue to come east and theyalways because of kind of their
products and the way that theywent about it.
Needed to stay close to one ofthe distribution centers.
(14:32):
Help me understand because youguys are really taking
ultimately the flavors ofCentral America and bringing
them to the States and thentrying to figure out how to
distribute them across, to allof the different regions.
How do you guys build that intoboth the planning and truly
ensuring that you're getting theright product into all of these
places at the right time?
Because without the right flavorprofiles, people are going to
come to one in Miami.
(14:52):
And one in Dallas and one in LA.
And if they're not the same,they can be like, maybe I don't
trust that site.
Blas Escarcega (14:57):
great question.
we, the Beauty Butter brand,we've been with trusted
suppliers, whether it's abreading or the chicken supplies
for many years.
So they've known the brandbefore, really, we came into the
U.
S.
simply because they work withour Central American
counterparts.
The thing about supply chain isthe availability, the cost, the
transportation, how close areyou to some of the distribution
(15:20):
centers.
So we made a decision a coupleof years ago because we were
limited to where we could go.
We couldn't go to every city wewanted to simply because it
would have taken a shipment, to,too long to get there and there
would have been a cost wouldhave been cost prohibited.
So we aligned ourselves with anassociation that allows us to go
throughout the U.
S.
So depending on the part of theU.
(15:41):
S.
That we want to go, there'salready an associated.
Dedicated supplier of thisassociation.
That would be our primarysupplier for Boa Campero.
So it's the flexibility we'relooking, but the consistency of
having.
One person to go reach out toand this is what we're doing
without having to go todifferent suppliers because
(16:02):
they're all connected through anassociation.
So that helped us expand andalso helped us reduce our cost
because now we're not having toship, chicken from Arkansas to
Minnesota.
Or those kind of things, wealready have a dedicated
supplier and provider up in themid, in the Midwest, upper
Midwest, where they have beenthere, they're successful,
(16:25):
they're the biggest playerbecause each region has big
players, but they're not bigplayers all over the U.
S., versus one big playerthroughout the U.
S.
maybe can't service in thesmaller towns or in areas,
they're just not going to focuson certain areas because it's,
it doesn't make economic sensefor
Jeremy Julian (16:44):
Yeah.
they might not be able to, anational supplier might not be
able to, cause you only have oneor two stores in that region.
They're not going to stock yourproduct because it's just really
hard for them.
I love that idea.
And I think that.
As part of your role and thepeople that are on your team,
it's brilliant that you guyshave figured that out because
again, I've watched otherbrands, not execute in that way.
And then they struggle becausethe product's different or
(17:04):
they're, they go with a nationalsupplier, which is great, but
then nothing against, pizzaplaces, but the pepperoni is
different between two differentbrands and two different
regions.
And ultimately the product isdifferent that way.
I'm going to, change.
A little bit of the thoughtprocess.
You talked about generationalengagement into the brand.
Talk to me a little bit abouthow you guys have invested to
ensure that you guys are notonly getting the people that
(17:26):
might have moved here 20 yearsago from central America that
are familiar with the brand, butthe 18 to 30 year old,
demographic that everybody'strying to hit, we know that
demographic is high spenders andthey will continue to be high
spenders.
How have you guys, Ensure thatyou guys are hitting that
market, not just the, 40something and 50 something year
old, not that there's anythingwrong with them because they're
also fantastic buyers, but yougot to make sure that you're
(17:49):
youthful so that you're growingthe, the customer base with some
of that younger consumer.
How have you guys thought aboutthat?
both digitally from a technologyperspective, and then really
even just from a brand.
Blas Escarcega (17:59):
that's a great question.
Simply because we know we'vedone, we looked at studies and
we know generation Z by 2030will be have the biggest
purchasing power.
So we realized early on that weneeded to focus on the next
generation.
we have the millennials, we havegeneration Z.
So we've done a lot too.
And this is something thateveryone's doing.
(18:20):
Social media has taken off overthe last couple of years,
actually four or five years.
Yeah.
we've done a lot with Instagramand Facebook and that, but we've
also, worked with influencers inthe different markets that we
work.
we also wanted to be tech savvywith our mobile app.
We've had it since before thepandemic.
We've optimized that where itrecognizes who you are.
(18:44):
It treats you like a person asopposed to just a number come in
and join.
We actually personalize it withyour birthdays, your name.
we remind you.
we also want to be active in thecommunities that we work and we
serve our products.
So we have a big local storemarketing program, which
actually touches the differentareas that we operate, and a lot
(19:06):
of them are people that areyoung people that want to know
who you are, whether we go, wehave some.
Restaurants by universities.
So we focus on that.
We have restaurants by schools,by hospitals, whatever.
so we really target a lot oflocal store marketing and then
with the national platform iswhere we have the social media,
the Facebooks, the Instagram.
(19:26):
the engagement piece where wewant people to feel it's their
brand.
And as if you've seen some ofthese, Instagram and
influencers, they're eatingfoods from all over the world.
So we are able to showcase ourfood, which is in Central
America.
It's a flavor of the world andintroduce it to them in a way
(19:47):
that they want to try it.
It's different.
We know that younger generationshave a different palette.
and different interests in foodand diversity and menu
innovation.
So there's flavors that may, 30years ago we were more focused
on maybe the American foodpalette.
Now it's more of aninternational palette and it
could be any kind of food,whether it's, Central American,
(20:09):
South American, Asian, you nameit, Middle Eastern,
Mediterranean.
So we are also in a greatposition as a brand.
to demonstrate that we belong inthat arena of taste, profile of
flavor of showing you what ourcuisine is all about.
And it's been very successful.
And also we have a great youngteam who's connected in the
(20:31):
marketing department.
So They're not all like me,
Jeremy Julian (20:34):
Yeah, or me, with all my gray hairs on my
Blas Escarcega (20:37):
so they have a pulse on the consumer and what
their friends and what they grewup with.
So they're almost a focus groupwithin our organization that
says, here's the trends thatwe're looking at.
And of course, we look atresearch and all that.
So we also partner up with ouragencies.
So that we have a holisticapproach, not only here, but
(20:57):
with our Central Americancounterparts, because they also
have part, a say so in what wedo internationally in the global
iconic brand, that there arethings that maybe we can share
best practices.
So those are the differentlevers that we've been pulling
from a marketing perspective andyou know how it is.
It's a moving target.
You're gonna have to move.
There's gonna be, TikTok cameout of nowhere the last three
(21:19):
years.
So yes, we're focused on some ofthose initiatives and all that.
And then one of the things thatwe like to do is the new store
openings.
We love to bring as many peopleas we can.
So we really do a lot to promotethe new store openings, whether
it's Manhattan, Orlando, LasVegas.
Los Angeles, Dallas, what haveyou.
So we made a, we make a big pushfor local store marketing during
(21:43):
the new store opening.
We have the golden ticket.
if you're one of the firsthundred that show up there and
we do that through social mediato come, to our new store, you
get a free meal every week for ayear.
So those are the kind ofinitiatives that we have.
again, the influencer come andtry our food and really write,
their comments and review aboutwhat they feel and what they
taste.
Jeremy Julian (22:03):
Yeah.
you talked a little bit earlieras well about getting feedback,
because one of the things thatwe know that Gen Z wants is they
want a voice in the brand, theywant to be heard.
And if they put something out,whether it be on social media,
on a review site, or even engagewith the brand and they don't
hear back, they'll turn it off.
Even if the food was great,strategically, how have you guys
dealt with that?
Blas Escarcega (22:22):
We, we have a dedicated customer experience
program.
So that department has grownsignificantly over the last five
years.
Before the pandemic, it wassomething that was, starting
out, it's something that we needto focus on.
Now it's a full representationof not only.
The customer, but also theemployee, because we want to
(22:43):
make sure the brand.
is successful when you have,happy customer, happy employees
makes the brand successful.
So we understand that.
So we've made a, an effort toensure that we're aligned with
our customers and our employees.
We've also, as a customerexperience department and is
(23:03):
focused on responding to ahundred percent of the reviews.
The feedback now, like any otherchain, another, not 100 percent
are going to be happy.
And we understand that, but wewant to make sure that we feel
how the experience, what wastheir feeling?
What was their emotion when theywent to a restaurant and they
didn't have the best, or theyhad the best experience.
(23:24):
So we have dedicated people whofollow up with them.
How can we help?
How can we make it better?
How can you give us anotheropportunity?
And we work very hard.
Jeremy to make sure that we havea connection with that consumer.
We don't want anyone ever toleave.
Disappointed.
Unhappy.
Initially they might do that,but when you pick up the phone
(23:44):
and you talk to them or youemail, a majority of the people
will give you a second chance.
Jeremy Julian (23:49):
Yeah, they want to be heard and they want you
they want to be heard and if youif they engage and you don't
acknowledge them and dosomething about it, they'll turn
you off.
But if you do, oftentimesthey'll come back.
Blas Escarcega (23:59):
Yeah.
And the majority of thecomplaints are not the food.
It's really the customerexperience.
Jeremy Julian (24:05):
Yep.
Blas Escarcega (24:07):
it's out of 15.
I think once, food review,that's negative versus 14 that
are, my experience was.
Was this at order accuracy or,the rudeness of the employee,
whatever it is.
So we understand that and we doa lot for training purposes to
make sure that our people areempowered to make decisions out
(24:27):
at the restaurant.
So if something's not working atthe restaurant and they can
change it immediately, that'swhat we want to empower them.
And that's why we give them theauthority to do that as opposed
to, I got to check with mymanager, my area manager.
Can I give him a free drink?
no, make it right.
Immediately.
And that really has beensuccessful for us.
Jeremy Julian (24:45):
I love that.
when we were last on theconsumer behaviors were also
changing, back in 2021 2020.
most brands, it was in person,there was in person or a drive
through, but there wasn't asmuch digital ordering.
There wasn't as much third partyordering.
There wasn't a, all of thosethings rushed into the scene
through the pandemic.
You guys had the app, but talkto me about how you even address
(25:09):
those challenges, because someof it is out of your control.
The guest doesn't show up ontime and just, and I guess even
for our listeners that are outthere, if you're at Liberty to
share, what was the, in person,takeout, dine in experience
versus, third party and awayfrom the restaurant.
prior to 2020 and what is itnow?
Has it grown?
(25:29):
Because almost every brand thatI talk to that's on the show,
it's most of the time growndouble digits and sometimes
doubled and tripled.
What used to be on prem now somuch of it's moving, which
changes really even your go tomarket strategy and how you guys
are going to package the foodand how you're going to deal
with guest complaints and thosekind of things.
So I'd love to talk a little bitabout that and what learnings
have you had over the lastcouple of years for our
listeners that might be outthere operating restaurants and
(25:50):
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Blas Escarcega (26:29):
Yeah, we, as most people during the pandemic,
we really were fortunate to haveall the tools and all the
applications ready for, thirdparty delivery, pick up
curbside.
We had all that in place andyou're right.
We went to definitely over, 70percent drive through and pick
(26:49):
up and curbside.
What we've seen, it's funnybecause we're social people in
the sense that initiallyeveryone thought, you know what,
shrink the dine in, no one'sgoing to want to come in, they
don't have time for this, andwhat we have found is that
people are reverting back to prepandemic and saying, it's an
(27:14):
opportunity to have a meal withmy children without getting
interruptions.
In other words, they're notlooking at their phone.
We're focused on, we're enjoyingfamily quality time.
When you're at home, you tend tolook at the phone, text each
other, listen to mom and dad,or, pay attention to a sister
and brother, but we've seen aslight shift coming back so that
(27:35):
the third party and takeoutreally hasn't continued growing
as fast.
It's flattened to a certainlevel.
We still have a higherpercentage than before.
But it hasn't gotten to a pointwhere nobody wants to come in
any so we see a change and asbeing a family brand, we
understood that we still neededto make sure that we had seating
(27:58):
ample seating for our customersthat we had the experience in
the dining and if you don't havetime and you want to enjoy it.
Through a drive thru experienceor through a delivery or a
takeout or curbside, you stillhave that option.
But it, it went against whateveryone thought maybe two years
ago.
And it was slightly coming backto the dining experience.
(28:19):
And I've been reading a lot, notonly our brand, but other brands
were.
Traffic in the dining area hasbeen going up higher than it
has, especially on some of thesecasual brands, casual restaurant
brands, that you would thinkwhat happened to them and all of
a sudden they're on fire.
You're like, they're coming backto the restaurant.
So we have to make sure that wedon't reduce the footprint too
(28:41):
much.
We have.
enough seating.
We also, when I do our siteanalytics, we know the family
environment in the demographicarea that we're going to be in
so that we're successful and wecan match that.
but it's a moving target,Jeremy.
It's something that And maybenot every brand is experiencing
(29:02):
that, but in our case, we seethe family and people slightly
coming back to the restaurant.
And I think it makes sense whenyou're, you've been in the house
for a year or a year and a halfand it's, you're working from
home, there is a life out there.
And when you experience the lifeout there, it's nice to have
(29:23):
that experience because we seepeople, we talk to people that
we normally would not, and wehave a different experience.
And that's what we'veexperienced over the last couple
of years.
Jeremy Julian (29:31):
Yeah, and I think it's all too true.
I think there's so many peoplethat are like, Oh, just, put it
all out there and get a ghostdining room, no dining room at
all.
And to your point, it's atestament to who the brand is
and what you guys stand for.
one last question, just cause itcontinues to come up and.
We're 30 minutes into this.
What are you guys thinking ofkind of automation and AI, how
it will impact Boya Compero as abrand, anything from automated
(29:55):
friars and automated drinkmachines to, kiosks or drive
thru timers.
Help me understand how you guysconsider those things.
Cause everybody's trying tofigure out what the next thing
is that they need to invest into, to keep up with the Joneses
and at the same time, not losetheir soul of who they are.
Blas Escarcega (30:12):
we've I mentioned it earlier.
We spent a couple of years ondoing, optimization of the back
of the house.
how many steps does it take ouremployees to make the product?
How efficient are they in theassembly line?
What's the throughput?
So we really focused on that.
Then we said, what are thetechnologies necessary?
To make sure they have thetools.
So yeah, it's simple, like KDSsystems.
(30:34):
We have the kiosk where it makessense.
For example, Jeremy, we're goingto be opening in Penn station
next month.
So we know that people are onthe go.
They don't have time.
So we're going to line up thewall with kiosks, probably seven
kiosks along there, and thenwe'll have somebody.
A couple of people dedicated,but they're just in a rush.
So we also did that.
We also have focused on thirdparty, data driven, where people
(30:58):
coming from, where are theycoming from and where are they
going after they visit ourstore?
So we can understand thedynamics behind that and maybe
market, whether it's lunch,dinner, between meals, a drive
through is make sense or indining.
the famous, being able to readyour license plate and being
able to identify it's, Jeremy,you're here last time you
ordered 20 piece chicken meal.
(31:21):
Can we get you the same thing?
So we are testing some of those.
We do have the digital menuboards across the whole
portfolio of restaurants.
So we've been there.
We've also looked at the mobileapp.
How can we optimize that, makeit more engaging, capture more
data?
So we know when you're in therestaurant by coincidence.
(31:41):
I was in the restaurant all of asudden on Instagram, I'm getting
an ad, how did they know I wasthere, so we're cross
pollinating opportunities whena, a customer comes in our
restaurant because we knowthey're going to go home.
And they're going to look atInstagram or Facebook or
whatever.
And when our app pops up there,it's it's, you think it's big
brother looking at you.
(32:02):
so we've done a lot of that.
we still have opportunitiesgoing forward on equipment.
we're looking at, some friarsthat will allow us to expedite,
Campero Nuggets.
we're, and also the fillets, thefillets are something that we
can automate a little bit fasterbecause those are things that we
normally on, on, on, we don'tnecessarily have them available
(32:25):
all the time.
So we make them as our ordered,but I think we've come up with
some solutions on how do we withequipment.
new equipment coming out withsome of the friars.
How can we get them faster?
The beverage area is somethingthat's hot.
I'm sure you've heard that fromother concepts.
it's not only how fast you cando it, but the flavors and,
people are throwing all, sortsof drinks and flavors and, ice
(32:49):
and ice cream and coffee.
And so we're looking at thatbecause we believe that is a
great driver, especially withthe younger generation.
Who loves to have something inbetween meals, maybe doesn't go
through the conventionalbeverage that we used to drink
in the old days, but wants alittle bit more flavor, and it's
(33:10):
a little bit out there.
Some of the flavors that arecoming out, those are the things
that they're looking at.
cool.
We're looking at those, we'vehad some, we've optimized our
tropical drinks that we have atour restaurant, that is, is more
where it's automated and peopledon't have to fill up the
containers.
So it's an automated filteredsystem that is continuously
being fed and delivering thebeverage.
(33:32):
So those and then lighting, welook at lighting.
I think lighting is a veryimportant function of the
restaurant.
what are some trends inlighting?
Nowadays, when you pass by arestaurant, that's one of the
first things that attracts youto a restaurant.
Look at the great lighting.
Look at I can see inside therestaurant.
It looks cool.
It looks right.
Vibrant.
So we're always looking at thatas an opportunity to expand our
(33:56):
footprint in the technology andthe trends that we're looking at
all.
Jeremy Julian (34:00):
I love all of those things because what I
guess I'm hearing as a, as anoverall threat is you guys are
thriving.
But part of why you guys arethriving is you guys are taking
the time to invest in siteselection, to invest in.
Training your people to investin knowing that you need more
than just the old people insocial media marketing.
You need the young people you'reinvesting in the product
(34:22):
innovation.
you're, and then the other piecethat I love that you talked
about is you guys arepartnering, you're partnering
with suppliers, you'repartnering with technology
vendors.
So to our listeners out there.
Is that just a cultural thingthat you guys do?
Because so many brands I seedon't do that.
And I guess this is just startfrom the top because all too
often I find that brands have afantastic rocket ship and then
(34:42):
they struggle and they hitpoints where they've grown,
they've got 200 stores, but thenthey can't figure out how to get
out of their own way and thenthey start to close stores and
I'm not.
Downplaying it, but I watch howmuch you just in the last two
years have invested in a timewhere most are like, ah, maybe
we shouldn't invest.
But I see the benefits of thoseinvestments and why it is such
an important thing to continueto do to stay on top.
Blas Escarcega (35:04):
Yeah, we were fortunate and that we have
shareholders.
Who have a long term vision atthe end of the day, if you're
going to make this brandsuccessful, you have to do it
right.
And you have to spend the time,effort, make the commitment, and
we're not short term thinkersaround here.
We know that there will bemissteps along the way.
(35:26):
We know that not everything'sgoing to work out.
We learn and we move on.
So that's exactly why I lovethis brand in that we're willing
to take calculated risk, and weare willing to learn from those
and we're willing to get better.
the other thing that we doreally well is being part of a
family business.
(35:46):
Really, when you look atsuppliers and customers, they're
really part of our family.
At the end of the day, we don'tlook at our vendors like, we're
just paying a bill and you'resupplying us.
No, we make a concerted effortto, have relationships, honesty,
transparency.
Because at one, in one point oranother, we're going to need
each other.
(36:07):
it showed itself during thepandemic.
I cannot tell you how manytimes, whether it was a
landlord, a bank, a supplierthat we were able to pick up the
phone and say, how do we workthis out?
And very few people.
We're against, whatever we'retrying to accomplish as a brand.
And at the end of the day, it'srelationships that we try long
(36:31):
term.
we talk about suppliers.
Some of these suppliers havebeen with us for, 30, 40 years.
And as you have a supplierthat's trusted, you have the
ability to communicate as afamily member, what you're
looking for, what your needsare.
Without anyone taking it,personally or taking it like,
what do they know, because wewant to make them better and
(36:53):
they want to make us better.
So we have really invested inpeople, at the end, and we all
know that culture over time,great culture, great success.
Jeremy Julian (37:03):
Yep.
I
Blas Escarcega (37:04):
And we know that we have to continue doing that
and it starts from the top.
So that's where I'm very blessedto be part of this organization
is that we look at that, we lookat the different, foots of the
stool, as they say, that willmake us successful.
And we've been doing it eversince.
And we continue to do it as, aswe move forward with these new
markets, new suppliers, newcustomer base and new store
(37:28):
openings that we have.
So it's a great, it's greatstory for us.
Jeremy Julian (37:30):
and I appreciate you sharing just because I, I
know that a lot of restaurantbrands sit and listen to these
shows and, if they can take onething away from it, I'd love for
them to continue to invest intheir people so that people
invest in the brand so that theycan be successful.
I know that since I gotintroduced to the brand a couple
of years ago, when we, when wewere on the show, it's been
remarkable to watch you guyscontinue to grow for those that,
(37:51):
want to watch that story andcontinue to watch it unfold.
Where should they connect withyou?
Connect with the brand and kindof get to see all of the things
that you guys continue to do.
What's the best way to stayconnected.
Blas Escarcega (38:02):
we have a website, www.
compero.
com.
We're also part of 1851, whichis our portal page with our,
agency.
so we have stories out there.
And then when you Google us andyou can find stories and you can
look at my LinkedIn, page, soyou can find a lot about who we
are.
(38:22):
And I welcome people to join uson LinkedIn or Instagram or
Facebook or TikTok.
We have a big following not onlyhere in the U.
S., but when you look at thebroad spectrum of where we're
at, we have a huge followingthroughout Central America.
It's amazing how many people.
Wherever I travel, see my shirt,oh, Campero, and you're the
(38:43):
Campero guy, when are you goingto build, I love your brand.
And I've had people, Jeremy,stop me and say, good chicken,
and they walk away.
Jeremy Julian (38:50):
That's amazing.
Blas Escarcega (38:51):
I don't even have time to thank them, it's
who are you?
I want to give you a card, agift card.
But that's the power of thebrand that we have.
there are various, and honestly,come visit us at the
restaurants.
if you see us, if you drive byor somebody invites you, please
come in, enjoy our food, be partof the Campero family.
That's all we can ask.
Give us a chance.
(39:12):
Give us a try.
And I know that you'll love ourfood and you'll love our
service.
And at the end of the day,that's what makes us successful.
Jeremy Julian (39:19):
Yep.
I wholeheartedly agree and Ithink at the end of the day,
it's such a unique bothexperience in the store and a
unique product that I thinkit's, once you get it gets a bit
addicting.
So you end up craving it and youhave that thought you go, I
gotta thank you so much forcoming back on the show.
Thank you for what you guyscontinue to do.
Thank you for investing in thepeople.
To our listeners guys, thank youguys for listening and have a
great day.
Blas Escarcega (39:39):
Thank you, Jeremy.
Thanks for listening to theRestaurant Technology Guys
podcast.
Visit www.
RestaurantTechnologyGuys.
com for tips, industry insights,and more to help you run your
restaurant better.
This is the RestaurantTechnology Guys podcast, helping
you run your restaurant better.
Jeremy Julian (00:14):
In today's episode we are joined by second
time guest and the guy that'scontinuing to grow along with
his team the Pollo Compero brandin the United States.
He and I talk a lot about whatsustainable growth looks like,
how to enter new markets with abrand that may not be
recognizable in a certainregion, and how They continue to
(00:35):
engage with our guests usingmodern platforms to ensure that
their franchisees and theirbrand itself is sustainably
growing across the U S.
Uh, if you don't know me, myname is Jeremy Julian.
I am the chief revenue officerfor CBS Northstar.
We sell the Northstar point ofsale solution for multi units.
Please check us out atcbsnorthstar.
(00:56):
com and now onto our episode.
Welcome back to the RestaurantTechnology Guys podcast.
I thank everyone out there forjoining us.
A long time listeners willrecognize the face and or the
name.
We've got a familiar story, butI'm excited to, to share some of
the things that have been goingon, within the world of Pollo
Campero.
plus you want to introduceyourself real quick, cause
you've got a fantastic history,both with that brand and a
(01:19):
little bit of background, andthen we can talk for those that
are less familiar with.
the brand that you're workingwith now.
So why don't you give everybodya little bit of an introduction
to you and your history, andthen, let's talk a little bit
about what you've been up tomost recently.
Blas Escarcega (01:30):
Thanks, Jeremy.
It's great to be here.
a little bit about mybackground.
I'm the vice president offranchise development.
So I've been in that role forthe last little over three
years.
before that, I was 15, 14, 15years as the director of finance
here at Pueblo Campero.
So I'll be hitting my 18thanniversary actually in February
next month.
I've been here since thebeginning when we opened our
(01:51):
first restaurants here in the US.
In the office.
So it's been, it is been a greatride.
Great growth.
Before I was in, in variousindustries and the beverage
industry, the oil and gas andthe real estate, and then I did
public accounting.
So I had a well-roundedbackground.
But really at the end of theday, I love the brand and the
restaurant industry most.
(02:11):
So I'm most excited andespecially here at Po Campo.
Since our beginning here in theUS, as far as our operations and
our office in 2007, we've beenreally, excited about the
growth, especially in 2024.
So thank you for having me.
Jeremy Julian (02:26):
Yeah.
And again, like I said, at thebeginning, longtime listeners
will remember, you and I thinkJose were on the, On the air
back in 2022.
And, I guess since then, whydon't you talk a little bit
about how the brand has evolvedand how it's changed a little
bit, for those that, that youheard that show two years ago,
two and a half years ago, andwhere we're at now, and then
we'll get into a little digginga little bit deeper into kind of
(02:48):
what is Boya Compero for thosethat had heard that and are
looking to see, see what thenew, new and exciting things
that you guys have going on.
Blas Escarcega (02:54):
Yeah.
When we look back the lastcouple of years, the last time
we were on the show, we'recoming out of the pandemic.
So we had to go through adifferent mindset during the
pandemic.
And then you had to re you hadto pivot to come out of that.
So what happened during thatphase is we really came out
stronger.
out of the pandemic.
We were able to really implementa lot of great initiatives.
(03:16):
whether it's the mobile app,third party delivery, we were
optimizing our kitchen.
We wanted to make sure that wereduce the number of steps our
employees were taking.
we spent a lot of time andeffort with customer experience.
We expanded that programsignificantly so that we would
respond 100 percent to all thecomments that we received,
whether it was on social mediaor directly through our website.
(03:39):
So we did, a lot of initiativesduring that phase.
we also looked at opportunitiesto grow the brand.
during the pandemic, we weren'tnecessarily growing.
We wanted to plan the growth andunfortunately it kinda halted us
for about a year, but we stillhad the plans in place to really
accelerate the brand.
(03:59):
so from 2022 to today.
We're at 121 units.
I think back then we're probablyin the eighties number,
Jeremy Julian (04:07):
78 or 82, something like that, somewhere
around there.
Blas Escarcega (04:10):
so you can see that we've really been able to
grow the brand during those last2 3 years.
We've also been able to enternew markets.
We grew in Orlando.
We expanded significantly inMiami.
we expanded in Manhattan and NewYork City.
We were there, but we expand alot more.
And then I think last time wetalked about we were looking at,
(04:32):
Southern California, mostlyAnaheim, Orange County area.
So we built our units there.
In fact, we're gonna open inAnaheim location next month,
which is exciting.
We love the California market.
We've been there the longestsince 2002.
We were able to do that.
we also were able to, hiretalent, as part of the growth
engine.
You need to make sure that youhave the right people in place
(04:52):
and they have the right tools.
So we invested in people andtools and processes and
procedures to really allow us togrow.
So those were the initiativesthat we did that allowed us to
really grow to last year wherewe had 29 units.
So that's something that reallywe, we hit out of the ballpark
for lack of better words.
where we had been 5 to 10 unitsduring the prior, 10 to 12
(05:16):
years.
We really hit it where weexceeded not only what we've
done historically, but it alsoallowed the platform for our
growth going forward.
And this year is another year.
when you look at what youdelivered last year, that's
something that is parked and,and filed away.
So now it's what are you gonnado for us this year?
and we're excited because wecontinue to see that.
Not only are we growing as abrand and we're growing as far
(05:39):
as our people and giving themopportunities.
But we're also seeing the brandrecognition.
And I think since the last twoor three years, we have seen a
lot more brand recognition, notonly when I go out to shows and
conferences, but also when we goout and look at development
opportunities, now brokers andlandlords and real estate
developers know who we are.
(06:00):
So it's a long answer, butbecause we've done so much, it's
something that we have been ableto accomplish.
And we also know that we stillneed to, deliver the results and
also, deliver an opportunity fornew consumers to come and try
us.
Jeremy Julian (06:15):
Yeah, so for those that haven't gotten a
chance to try, you guys aregetting to a place where the
brand is recognizable.
I can tell you truthfully, otherthan the fact that I had moved
to DFW and this is your U.
S.
based headquarters, prior tobeing here, I didn't know who
you guys were.
You'd reached out to be on theshow.
Excited to have you guys on andlearn the story, but now it
feels like I see you guyseverywhere.
So for those that Have yet toget to the place where they've
(06:36):
been able to experience what youguys have to offer.
Walk our listeners through whatis the experience?
Is it just your standard chickenplace?
I know it's not, but I'd lovefor you to talk a little bit
about what makes Boyo Comperounique and different.
That, has such a cult following,quite frankly, because the part
that I love about it, and we'lltalk a little bit about how that
continues to travel, but whenyou talk to people about it,
(06:59):
that have experienced it,they're like, Oh, my gosh, it's
amazing.
So if you could give us just afew minutes on what is the
experience when guests come in.
Blas Escarcega (07:06):
Yeah, and really what it is, Jeremy, it's really
our roots, which are in CentralAmerica and Guatemala.
we've been around over 50 years,so it's not a brand that is new.
it has been in the US since2002, and when I talk to people
about what is PO mean to me orto you possibly as a new
consumer, it really brings an,an opportunity to bring the
(07:29):
flavors of Central America.
It also allows to bring theculture of family.
And friends to the brand.
we believe strongly in, infamily meals.
We believe in, strongly in, inhaving, the more the merrier,
eating at the table.
It's something where we tend toshare and enjoy different
flavors.
So the brand is beyond just,here's your food, eat it, and
(07:52):
leave.
We want you to enjoy visitingour restaurants, which means we,
you have to get a great customerexperience from our employees.
You have to visit cleanrestaurants, lit, execution,
operational excellence is veryimportant, but we also want you
to take a little bit of who weare, which is.
Found it in Guatemala, greatfood, great recipes, great
(08:13):
flavor.
And at the end of the day, it'sthe tender, crunchy, juicy fried
chicken that everyone cravesbecause to your point, once you
taste it, you become somewhataddicted to that flavor.
And it's something that you wantto have on a regular basis for
those that have had it.
And that's what has led to thenostalgic appeal of Pollo
Campero, especially to CentralAmericans who have come from
(08:36):
Central America to the US.
It brings back a little bit oftheir home, country, their home
feelings or nostalgic,background when they experienced
that growing up, but we're alsoallowing future generations here
in the U S of central Americansand crossover consumers from
Maine to really enjoy, whatwe're all about.
(08:56):
And it's like having a.
A thanksgiving dinner at thetable where you have everyone
around.
Everyone's sharing sides.
Everyone's enjoying the food.
Everyone's talking.
Everyone loves the ambience ofthe restaurant and the colors
and just a service level.
So we really focus on bringing alittle bit of home.
and what we're all about inGuatemala, and that's really
what's been successful for us aswe transition into new markets
(09:20):
and grow the base, not onlywhere we've been historically,
but into future markets as wego.
So it's been a great story.
and I can tell you this,everybody who I talked to really
loves the food.
Really loves the ambiance,really loves to visit our
restaurants and there's a greatenergy that we wanna create when
people come to our restaurants.
Jeremy Julian (09:37):
Yeah.
And I know, you and I talkedprior to hitting the record
button about our team down in ElSalvador and they just love,
cause I know you guys have gota, central American presence and
our team in El Salvador justloves your guys product down
there as well.
when they come to visit, it'sone of the places that they'd
like to go to, cause they get ataste from home while they're,
while they're here in theStates.
So help me understand how youguys consider new markets.
Cause I've been in the space asyou have for a long time.
(10:00):
and I've watched brands go intonew markets and fail.
I've watched brands go into newmarkets and take over.
You talk about the growth, youtalk about the fact that you
guys have expanded since wetalked just a couple of years
ago into at least four newmarkets that I know of and have
been successful.
Talk to me as the guy that's inthe tip of that spear, how do
you consider that and how do youconsider going into a new
(10:20):
market?
Where Boyo Compero is not a namethat is a known name brand
everywhere, or it might be in avery small sub segment, but you
can't just sell to CentralAmericans in New York, or you
can't just sell to CentralAmericans and still make a
living.
So help me understand, what doyou, what types of things do you
guys consider and what is thethought process behind going
into new markets, for ourlisteners that are out there?
Blas Escarcega (10:43):
Yeah.
The new markets, we think of itvery carefully.
We have a lot of, demographicinformation, site analytics
software that lets them know,where do people live?
What's a growth projection?
But we also know where we'vebeen successful.
So we, what we try to do is growadjacent to where we're at.
We don't necessarily want to goeverywhere immediately.
We would love to, but it's notfeasible.
(11:05):
It doesn't make sense.
So what we try to do is focus onwhat are areas around what we're
currently successful.
Is there a market for that?
Is there an ability to expand?
Yes.
the other thing that we look at,which we tend to know where our
current customers are coming to,for example, coming from, we
have a Rogers, Arkansaslocation.
(11:26):
We know people come from Omaha,Nebraska, from Kansas City.
They drive hundreds of miles tocome eat our chicken.
We have data that proves to it,proves it to us.
We have people that go from SaltLake City to Denver to Las Vegas
because that's the closeststore.
We have people in Phoenix thatgo to Los Angeles.
So what we try to do is, wealready have the footprint
(11:49):
across the U.
S.
of where we exist.
How do we fill in those marketswhere we're not too far out?
of our comfort zone as far aswhere we're successful, but we
tap into new consumers.
So that's allows us by knowingwho comes and visits us, where
they're coming from.
So it makes it a little biteasier.
For example, when we're goinginto Tampa, we know that people
(12:12):
travel from Tampa all the waydown to Miami and now they go to
Orlando.
So Tampa would be a very easy,opportunity for us to go in the
market.
Now we're probably going toexpand as we go north.
we also tend to want to go inareas where there's economic
growth, population growth thatwe know people are relocating
maybe from California.
(12:33):
to different parts of thenation.
We also know that the Southeastregion, which we're heavily
going to be developing, not onlyin Miami, but Atlanta, and we
have a franchise in NorthCarolina and Tennessee, they
consume chicken at the highestpercentage.
So we want to be in that marketbecause we believe there's
enough room for all of us.
(12:53):
So there's different variablesthat we use to say, is it
economic sense?
Is our core customer there?
Or do we have people travelingfar away to some of our existing
stores?
is there a, is it a businessfriendly environment?
Is there a situation where wehave a following of Campero fans
that exist?
Maybe they're not the biggest,but they do travel, but they
(13:16):
eventually become.
Ambassadors of the brand andthat's where it helps us deliver
the experience to people whodon't know us because they might
know family members They mightbe married to somebody or they
travel like yourself Maybe toCentral America and you say I've
seen that brand I've experiencedin Central America.
Now, they're here locallyWhereas maybe you wouldn't have
(13:37):
thought about it in the pastbecause we weren't there.
and of course everything goesthrough, site analytics as far
as, the, what's the five yearlook like, who lives here, our
core customers here are noncore, retail competitors.
So we look at all that.
And at the end of the day, we doour best to make sure that we
have.
The best site that we're not outpositioned when we build that
(14:00):
location where we're going tobe.
We don't want to be outpositioned by competitors.
So we want to make sure thatwe're in the right spot and
that's been successful for us inthe last couple of years.
Jeremy Julian (14:10):
Yeah, I love the idea that you have that you guys
go site adjacent, meaning, it'swithin kind of a local regional
area.
Talk to me a little bit abouthow you guys even consider
supply chain.
I've got some good friends thatare at in and out.
and over the years they've grownfrom California and they
continue to come east and theyalways because of kind of their
products and the way that theywent about it.
Needed to stay close to one ofthe distribution centers.
(14:32):
Help me understand because youguys are really taking
ultimately the flavors ofCentral America and bringing
them to the States and thentrying to figure out how to
distribute them across, to allof the different regions.
How do you guys build that intoboth the planning and truly
ensuring that you're getting theright product into all of these
places at the right time?
Because without the right flavorprofiles, people are going to
come to one in Miami.
(14:52):
And one in Dallas and one in LA.
And if they're not the same,they can be like, maybe I don't
trust that site.
Blas Escarcega (14:57):
great question.
we, the Beauty Butter brand,we've been with trusted
suppliers, whether it's abreading or the chicken supplies
for many years.
So they've known the brandbefore, really, we came into the
U.
S.
simply because they work withour Central American
counterparts.
The thing about supply chain isthe availability, the cost, the
transportation, how close areyou to some of the distribution
(15:20):
centers.
So we made a decision a coupleof years ago because we were
limited to where we could go.
We couldn't go to every city wewanted to simply because it
would have taken a shipment, to,too long to get there and there
would have been a cost wouldhave been cost prohibited.
So we aligned ourselves with anassociation that allows us to go
throughout the U.
S.
So depending on the part of theU.
(15:41):
S.
That we want to go, there'salready an associated.
Dedicated supplier of thisassociation.
That would be our primarysupplier for Boa Campero.
So it's the flexibility we'relooking, but the consistency of
having.
One person to go reach out toand this is what we're doing
without having to go todifferent suppliers because
(16:02):
they're all connected through anassociation.
So that helped us expand andalso helped us reduce our cost
because now we're not having toship, chicken from Arkansas to
Minnesota.
Or those kind of things, wealready have a dedicated
supplier and provider up in themid, in the Midwest, upper
Midwest, where they have beenthere, they're successful,
(16:25):
they're the biggest playerbecause each region has big
players, but they're not bigplayers all over the U.
S., versus one big playerthroughout the U.
S.
maybe can't service in thesmaller towns or in areas,
they're just not going to focuson certain areas because it's,
it doesn't make economic sensefor
Jeremy Julian (16:44):
Yeah.
they might not be able to, anational supplier might not be
able to, cause you only have oneor two stores in that region.
They're not going to stock yourproduct because it's just really
hard for them.
I love that idea.
And I think that.
As part of your role and thepeople that are on your team,
it's brilliant that you guyshave figured that out because
again, I've watched otherbrands, not execute in that way.
And then they struggle becausethe product's different or
(17:04):
they're, they go with a nationalsupplier, which is great, but
then nothing against, pizzaplaces, but the pepperoni is
different between two differentbrands and two different
regions.
And ultimately the product isdifferent that way.
I'm going to, change.
A little bit of the thoughtprocess.
You talked about generationalengagement into the brand.
Talk to me a little bit abouthow you guys have invested to
ensure that you guys are notonly getting the people that
(17:26):
might have moved here 20 yearsago from central America that
are familiar with the brand, butthe 18 to 30 year old,
demographic that everybody'strying to hit, we know that
demographic is high spenders andthey will continue to be high
spenders.
How have you guys, Ensure thatyou guys are hitting that
market, not just the, 40something and 50 something year
old, not that there's anythingwrong with them because they're
also fantastic buyers, but yougot to make sure that you're
(17:49):
youthful so that you're growingthe, the customer base with some
of that younger consumer.
How have you guys thought aboutthat?
both digitally from a technologyperspective, and then really
even just from a brand.
Blas Escarcega (17:59):
that's a great question.
Simply because we know we'vedone, we looked at studies and
we know generation Z by 2030will be have the biggest
purchasing power.
So we realized early on that weneeded to focus on the next
generation.
we have the millennials, we havegeneration Z.
So we've done a lot too.
And this is something thateveryone's doing.
(18:20):
Social media has taken off overthe last couple of years,
actually four or five years.
Yeah.
we've done a lot with Instagramand Facebook and that, but we've
also, worked with influencers inthe different markets that we
work.
we also wanted to be tech savvywith our mobile app.
We've had it since before thepandemic.
We've optimized that where itrecognizes who you are.
(18:44):
It treats you like a person asopposed to just a number come in
and join.
We actually personalize it withyour birthdays, your name.
we remind you.
we also want to be active in thecommunities that we work and we
serve our products.
So we have a big local storemarketing program, which
actually touches the differentareas that we operate, and a lot
(19:06):
of them are people that areyoung people that want to know
who you are, whether we go, wehave some.
Restaurants by universities.
So we focus on that.
We have restaurants by schools,by hospitals, whatever.
so we really target a lot oflocal store marketing and then
with the national platform iswhere we have the social media,
the Facebooks, the Instagram.
(19:26):
the engagement piece where wewant people to feel it's their
brand.
And as if you've seen some ofthese, Instagram and
influencers, they're eatingfoods from all over the world.
So we are able to showcase ourfood, which is in Central
America.
It's a flavor of the world andintroduce it to them in a way
(19:47):
that they want to try it.
It's different.
We know that younger generationshave a different palette.
and different interests in foodand diversity and menu
innovation.
So there's flavors that may, 30years ago we were more focused
on maybe the American foodpalette.
Now it's more of aninternational palette and it
could be any kind of food,whether it's, Central American,
(20:09):
South American, Asian, you nameit, Middle Eastern,
Mediterranean.
So we are also in a greatposition as a brand.
to demonstrate that we belong inthat arena of taste, profile of
flavor of showing you what ourcuisine is all about.
And it's been very successful.
And also we have a great youngteam who's connected in the
(20:31):
marketing department.
So They're not all like me,
Jeremy Julian (20:34):
Yeah, or me, with all my gray hairs on my
Blas Escarcega (20:37):
so they have a pulse on the consumer and what
their friends and what they grewup with.
So they're almost a focus groupwithin our organization that
says, here's the trends thatwe're looking at.
And of course, we look atresearch and all that.
So we also partner up with ouragencies.
So that we have a holisticapproach, not only here, but
(20:57):
with our Central Americancounterparts, because they also
have part, a say so in what wedo internationally in the global
iconic brand, that there arethings that maybe we can share
best practices.
So those are the differentlevers that we've been pulling
from a marketing perspective andyou know how it is.
It's a moving target.
You're gonna have to move.
There's gonna be, TikTok cameout of nowhere the last three
(21:19):
years.
So yes, we're focused on some ofthose initiatives and all that.
And then one of the things thatwe like to do is the new store
openings.
We love to bring as many peopleas we can.
So we really do a lot to promotethe new store openings, whether
it's Manhattan, Orlando, LasVegas.
Los Angeles, Dallas, what haveyou.
So we made a, we make a big pushfor local store marketing during
(21:43):
the new store opening.
We have the golden ticket.
if you're one of the firsthundred that show up there and
we do that through social mediato come, to our new store, you
get a free meal every week for ayear.
So those are the kind ofinitiatives that we have.
again, the influencer come andtry our food and really write,
their comments and review aboutwhat they feel and what they
taste.
Jeremy Julian (22:03):
Yeah.
you talked a little bit earlieras well about getting feedback,
because one of the things thatwe know that Gen Z wants is they
want a voice in the brand, theywant to be heard.
And if they put something out,whether it be on social media,
on a review site, or even engagewith the brand and they don't
hear back, they'll turn it off.
Even if the food was great,strategically, how have you guys
dealt with that?
Blas Escarcega (22:22):
We, we have a dedicated customer experience
program.
So that department has grownsignificantly over the last five
years.
Before the pandemic, it wassomething that was, starting
out, it's something that we needto focus on.
Now it's a full representationof not only.
The customer, but also theemployee, because we want to
(22:43):
make sure the brand.
is successful when you have,happy customer, happy employees
makes the brand successful.
So we understand that.
So we've made a, an effort toensure that we're aligned with
our customers and our employees.
We've also, as a customerexperience department and is
(23:03):
focused on responding to ahundred percent of the reviews.
The feedback now, like any otherchain, another, not 100 percent
are going to be happy.
And we understand that, but wewant to make sure that we feel
how the experience, what wastheir feeling?
What was their emotion when theywent to a restaurant and they
didn't have the best, or theyhad the best experience.
(23:24):
So we have dedicated people whofollow up with them.
How can we help?
How can we make it better?
How can you give us anotheropportunity?
And we work very hard.
Jeremy to make sure that we havea connection with that consumer.
We don't want anyone ever toleave.
Disappointed.
Unhappy.
Initially they might do that,but when you pick up the phone
(23:44):
and you talk to them or youemail, a majority of the people
will give you a second chance.
Jeremy Julian (23:49):
Yeah, they want to be heard and they want you
they want to be heard and if youif they engage and you don't
acknowledge them and dosomething about it, they'll turn
you off.
But if you do, oftentimesthey'll come back.
Blas Escarcega (23:59):
Yeah.
And the majority of thecomplaints are not the food.
It's really the customerexperience.
Jeremy Julian (24:05):
Yep.
Blas Escarcega (24:07):
it's out of 15.
I think once, food review,that's negative versus 14 that
are, my experience was.
Was this at order accuracy or,the rudeness of the employee,
whatever it is.
So we understand that and we doa lot for training purposes to
make sure that our people areempowered to make decisions out
(24:27):
at the restaurant.
So if something's not working atthe restaurant and they can
change it immediately, that'swhat we want to empower them.
And that's why we give them theauthority to do that as opposed
to, I got to check with mymanager, my area manager.
Can I give him a free drink?
no, make it right.
Immediately.
And that really has beensuccessful for us.
Jeremy Julian (24:45):
I love that.
when we were last on theconsumer behaviors were also
changing, back in 2021 2020.
most brands, it was in person,there was in person or a drive
through, but there wasn't asmuch digital ordering.
There wasn't as much third partyordering.
There wasn't a, all of thosethings rushed into the scene
through the pandemic.
You guys had the app, but talkto me about how you even address
(25:09):
those challenges, because someof it is out of your control.
The guest doesn't show up ontime and just, and I guess even
for our listeners that are outthere, if you're at Liberty to
share, what was the, in person,takeout, dine in experience
versus, third party and awayfrom the restaurant.
prior to 2020 and what is itnow?
Has it grown?
(25:29):
Because almost every brand thatI talk to that's on the show,
it's most of the time growndouble digits and sometimes
doubled and tripled.
What used to be on prem now somuch of it's moving, which
changes really even your go tomarket strategy and how you guys
are going to package the foodand how you're going to deal
with guest complaints and thosekind of things.
So I'd love to talk a little bitabout that and what learnings
have you had over the lastcouple of years for our
listeners that might be outthere operating restaurants and
(25:50):
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Blas Escarcega (26:29):
Yeah, we, as most people during the pandemic,
we really were fortunate to haveall the tools and all the
applications ready for, thirdparty delivery, pick up
curbside.
We had all that in place andyou're right.
We went to definitely over, 70percent drive through and pick
(26:49):
up and curbside.
What we've seen, it's funnybecause we're social people in
the sense that initiallyeveryone thought, you know what,
shrink the dine in, no one'sgoing to want to come in, they
don't have time for this, andwhat we have found is that
people are reverting back to prepandemic and saying, it's an
(27:14):
opportunity to have a meal withmy children without getting
interruptions.
In other words, they're notlooking at their phone.
We're focused on, we're enjoyingfamily quality time.
When you're at home, you tend tolook at the phone, text each
other, listen to mom and dad,or, pay attention to a sister
and brother, but we've seen aslight shift coming back so that
(27:35):
the third party and takeoutreally hasn't continued growing
as fast.
It's flattened to a certainlevel.
We still have a higherpercentage than before.
But it hasn't gotten to a pointwhere nobody wants to come in
any so we see a change and asbeing a family brand, we
understood that we still neededto make sure that we had seating
(27:58):
ample seating for our customersthat we had the experience in
the dining and if you don't havetime and you want to enjoy it.
Through a drive thru experienceor through a delivery or a
takeout or curbside, you stillhave that option.
But it, it went against whateveryone thought maybe two years
ago.
And it was slightly coming backto the dining experience.
(28:19):
And I've been reading a lot, notonly our brand, but other brands
were.
Traffic in the dining area hasbeen going up higher than it
has, especially on some of thesecasual brands, casual restaurant
brands, that you would thinkwhat happened to them and all of
a sudden they're on fire.
You're like, they're coming backto the restaurant.
So we have to make sure that wedon't reduce the footprint too
(28:41):
much.
We have.
enough seating.
We also, when I do our siteanalytics, we know the family
environment in the demographicarea that we're going to be in
so that we're successful and wecan match that.
but it's a moving target,Jeremy.
It's something that And maybenot every brand is experiencing
(29:02):
that, but in our case, we seethe family and people slightly
coming back to the restaurant.
And I think it makes sense whenyou're, you've been in the house
for a year or a year and a halfand it's, you're working from
home, there is a life out there.
And when you experience the lifeout there, it's nice to have
(29:23):
that experience because we seepeople, we talk to people that
we normally would not, and wehave a different experience.
And that's what we'veexperienced over the last couple
of years.
Jeremy Julian (29:31):
Yeah, and I think it's all too true.
I think there's so many peoplethat are like, Oh, just, put it
all out there and get a ghostdining room, no dining room at
all.
And to your point, it's atestament to who the brand is
and what you guys stand for.
one last question, just cause itcontinues to come up and.
We're 30 minutes into this.
What are you guys thinking ofkind of automation and AI, how
it will impact Boya Compero as abrand, anything from automated
(29:55):
friars and automated drinkmachines to, kiosks or drive
thru timers.
Help me understand how you guysconsider those things.
Cause everybody's trying tofigure out what the next thing
is that they need to invest into, to keep up with the Joneses
and at the same time, not losetheir soul of who they are.
Blas Escarcega (30:12):
we've I mentioned it earlier.
We spent a couple of years ondoing, optimization of the back
of the house.
how many steps does it take ouremployees to make the product?
How efficient are they in theassembly line?
What's the throughput?
So we really focused on that.
Then we said, what are thetechnologies necessary?
To make sure they have thetools.
So yeah, it's simple, like KDSsystems.
(30:34):
We have the kiosk where it makessense.
For example, Jeremy, we're goingto be opening in Penn station
next month.
So we know that people are onthe go.
They don't have time.
So we're going to line up thewall with kiosks, probably seven
kiosks along there, and thenwe'll have somebody.
A couple of people dedicated,but they're just in a rush.
So we also did that.
We also have focused on thirdparty, data driven, where people
(30:58):
coming from, where are theycoming from and where are they
going after they visit ourstore?
So we can understand thedynamics behind that and maybe
market, whether it's lunch,dinner, between meals, a drive
through is make sense or indining.
the famous, being able to readyour license plate and being
able to identify it's, Jeremy,you're here last time you
ordered 20 piece chicken meal.
(31:21):
Can we get you the same thing?
So we are testing some of those.
We do have the digital menuboards across the whole
portfolio of restaurants.
So we've been there.
We've also looked at the mobileapp.
How can we optimize that, makeit more engaging, capture more
data?
So we know when you're in therestaurant by coincidence.
(31:41):
I was in the restaurant all of asudden on Instagram, I'm getting
an ad, how did they know I wasthere, so we're cross
pollinating opportunities whena, a customer comes in our
restaurant because we knowthey're going to go home.
And they're going to look atInstagram or Facebook or
whatever.
And when our app pops up there,it's it's, you think it's big
brother looking at you.
(32:02):
so we've done a lot of that.
we still have opportunitiesgoing forward on equipment.
we're looking at, some friarsthat will allow us to expedite,
Campero Nuggets.
we're, and also the fillets, thefillets are something that we
can automate a little bit fasterbecause those are things that we
normally on, on, on, we don'tnecessarily have them available
(32:25):
all the time.
So we make them as our ordered,but I think we've come up with
some solutions on how do we withequipment.
new equipment coming out withsome of the friars.
How can we get them faster?
The beverage area is somethingthat's hot.
I'm sure you've heard that fromother concepts.
it's not only how fast you cando it, but the flavors and,
people are throwing all, sortsof drinks and flavors and, ice
(32:49):
and ice cream and coffee.
And so we're looking at thatbecause we believe that is a
great driver, especially withthe younger generation.
Who loves to have something inbetween meals, maybe doesn't go
through the conventionalbeverage that we used to drink
in the old days, but wants alittle bit more flavor, and it's
(33:10):
a little bit out there.
Some of the flavors that arecoming out, those are the things
that they're looking at.
cool.
We're looking at those, we'vehad some, we've optimized our
tropical drinks that we have atour restaurant, that is, is more
where it's automated and peopledon't have to fill up the
containers.
So it's an automated filteredsystem that is continuously
being fed and delivering thebeverage.
(33:32):
So those and then lighting, welook at lighting.
I think lighting is a veryimportant function of the
restaurant.
what are some trends inlighting?
Nowadays, when you pass by arestaurant, that's one of the
first things that attracts youto a restaurant.
Look at the great lighting.
Look at I can see inside therestaurant.
It looks cool.
It looks right.
Vibrant.
So we're always looking at thatas an opportunity to expand our
(33:56):
footprint in the technology andthe trends that we're looking at
all.
Jeremy Julian (34:00):
I love all of those things because what I
guess I'm hearing as a, as anoverall threat is you guys are
thriving.
But part of why you guys arethriving is you guys are taking
the time to invest in siteselection, to invest in.
Training your people to investin knowing that you need more
than just the old people insocial media marketing.
You need the young people you'reinvesting in the product
(34:22):
innovation.
you're, and then the other piecethat I love that you talked
about is you guys arepartnering, you're partnering
with suppliers, you'repartnering with technology
vendors.
So to our listeners out there.
Is that just a cultural thingthat you guys do?
Because so many brands I seedon't do that.
And I guess this is just startfrom the top because all too
often I find that brands have afantastic rocket ship and then
(34:42):
they struggle and they hitpoints where they've grown,
they've got 200 stores, but thenthey can't figure out how to get
out of their own way and thenthey start to close stores and
I'm not.
Downplaying it, but I watch howmuch you just in the last two
years have invested in a timewhere most are like, ah, maybe
we shouldn't invest.
But I see the benefits of thoseinvestments and why it is such
an important thing to continueto do to stay on top.
Blas Escarcega (35:04):
Yeah, we were fortunate and that we have
shareholders.
Who have a long term vision atthe end of the day, if you're
going to make this brandsuccessful, you have to do it
right.
And you have to spend the time,effort, make the commitment, and
we're not short term thinkersaround here.
We know that there will bemissteps along the way.
(35:26):
We know that not everything'sgoing to work out.
We learn and we move on.
So that's exactly why I lovethis brand in that we're willing
to take calculated risk, and weare willing to learn from those
and we're willing to get better.
the other thing that we doreally well is being part of a
family business.
(35:46):
Really, when you look atsuppliers and customers, they're
really part of our family.
At the end of the day, we don'tlook at our vendors like, we're
just paying a bill and you'resupplying us.
No, we make a concerted effortto, have relationships, honesty,
transparency.
Because at one, in one point oranother, we're going to need
each other.
(36:07):
it showed itself during thepandemic.
I cannot tell you how manytimes, whether it was a
landlord, a bank, a supplierthat we were able to pick up the
phone and say, how do we workthis out?
And very few people.
We're against, whatever we'retrying to accomplish as a brand.
And at the end of the day, it'srelationships that we try long
(36:31):
term.
we talk about suppliers.
Some of these suppliers havebeen with us for, 30, 40 years.
And as you have a supplierthat's trusted, you have the
ability to communicate as afamily member, what you're
looking for, what your needsare.
Without anyone taking it,personally or taking it like,
what do they know, because wewant to make them better and
(36:53):
they want to make us better.
So we have really invested inpeople, at the end, and we all
know that culture over time,great culture, great success.
Jeremy Julian (37:03):
Yep.
I
Blas Escarcega (37:04):
And we know that we have to continue doing that
and it starts from the top.
So that's where I'm very blessedto be part of this organization
is that we look at that, we lookat the different, foots of the
stool, as they say, that willmake us successful.
And we've been doing it eversince.
And we continue to do it as, aswe move forward with these new
markets, new suppliers, newcustomer base and new store
(37:28):
openings that we have.
So it's a great, it's greatstory for us.
Jeremy Julian (37:30):
and I appreciate you sharing just because I, I
know that a lot of restaurantbrands sit and listen to these
shows and, if they can take onething away from it, I'd love for
them to continue to invest intheir people so that people
invest in the brand so that theycan be successful.
I know that since I gotintroduced to the brand a couple
of years ago, when we, when wewere on the show, it's been
remarkable to watch you guyscontinue to grow for those that,
(37:51):
want to watch that story andcontinue to watch it unfold.
Where should they connect withyou?
Connect with the brand and kindof get to see all of the things
that you guys continue to do.
What's the best way to stayconnected.
Blas Escarcega (38:02):
we have a website, www.
compero.
com.
We're also part of 1851, whichis our portal page with our,
agency.
so we have stories out there.
And then when you Google us andyou can find stories and you can
look at my LinkedIn, page, soyou can find a lot about who we
are.
(38:22):
And I welcome people to join uson LinkedIn or Instagram or
Facebook or TikTok.
We have a big following not onlyhere in the U.
S., but when you look at thebroad spectrum of where we're
at, we have a huge followingthroughout Central America.
It's amazing how many people.
Wherever I travel, see my shirt,oh, Campero, and you're the
(38:43):
Campero guy, when are you goingto build, I love your brand.
And I've had people, Jeremy,stop me and say, good chicken,
and they walk away.
Jeremy Julian (38:50):
That's amazing.
Blas Escarcega (38:51):
I don't even have time to thank them, it's
who are you?
I want to give you a card, agift card.
But that's the power of thebrand that we have.
there are various, and honestly,come visit us at the
restaurants.
if you see us, if you drive byor somebody invites you, please
come in, enjoy our food, be partof the Campero family.
That's all we can ask.
Give us a chance.
(39:12):
Give us a try.
And I know that you'll love ourfood and you'll love our
service.
And at the end of the day,that's what makes us successful.
Jeremy Julian (39:19):
Yep.
I wholeheartedly agree and Ithink at the end of the day,
it's such a unique bothexperience in the store and a
unique product that I thinkit's, once you get it gets a bit
addicting.
So you end up craving it and youhave that thought you go, I
gotta thank you so much forcoming back on the show.
Thank you for what you guyscontinue to do.
Thank you for investing in thepeople.
To our listeners guys, thank youguys for listening and have a
great day.
Blas Escarcega (39:39):
Thank you, Jeremy.
Thanks for listening to theRestaurant Technology Guys
podcast.
Visit www.
RestaurantTechnologyGuys.
com for tips, industry insights,and more to help you run your
restaurant better.
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