By Daniel Azarkman
After over a year of deliberation and not-so-promising town hearings, my former employers at POLLO CAMPERO confirm that they will finally be opening a San Francisco location. The fast-casual chicken chain started 40 years ago in Guatemala and is absolutely everywhere in Central America, but has yet to make a formal appearance in Northern California. For a while now, nostalgic immigrants here have been getting their fix by placing an order at Rico Pan in the Mission, which has an employee haul a car-ful of fried chicken up from L.A. every so often.
Soon they won’t have to drive nearly as far, says a unanimous vote from the San Francisco Planning Commission last Thursday. The decision comes after a few changes to the concept in response to neighbors’ concerns. The space at 2740 Mission, formerly a Payless ShoeSource, will importantly feature a covered patio to keep sounds and smells out of anyone else’s yard. Aiming for a late 2011 opening, this Pollo Campero will stand alone among U.S. locations in being a full-service restaurant, though this is the norm in Central America. 2740 Mission St. at 23rd St.
