News

Pollo Tropical transforms service model

December 17, 2009

Pollo Tropical locations in the Tampa, Fla., region have added more menu options, silverware and a casual-dining service model to match the company's reputation for high-quality food.

According to a story in the St. Petersburg Times, servers now deliver every dine-in meal to the dining room at two Tampa Bay locations. A total of four locations in the area will be retrofitted with the changes.

From the St. Petersburg Times:

"Our customers in research told us our food is better than fast food, so we're trying to match the dining experience to the food quality," said Kim Miller, marketing director of the 91-store Miami chain that's a fixture with 67 outlets in South Florida but adapting to fit in everywhere. "Food looks and tastes better eaten from plates with silver."

The bay area was chosen for the test because its population is closer to a microcosm of the United States. And its Hispanic population — which includes a large proportion of Mexicans and Puerto Ricans commonly seen in other big markets — is more diverse than South Florida, which is dominated by Cubans and South American immigrants.