Pollo Campero Taps Ex-Carl's Jr. Exec Julio Sánchez as U.S. CEO

Pollo Campero, the Guatemala-born chicken chain with more than 400 restaurants worldwide and more than 150 in the U.S., has named Julio Sánchez CEO of its U.S. business, effective immediately, the company said Tuesday.

Sánchez replaces Luis Javier Rodas, the outgoing chief operating officer, who left this month after 26 years with the company and a significant share of the credit for the brand's domestic growth.

Sánchez arrives from CKE International, parent of Carl's Jr., where he served as chief operating officer. His résumier also includes leadership roles at Pizza Hut, Burger King and Church's Chicken — four systems, all of them scaled operators with heavy franchise footprints.

At Pollo Campero, his mandate is concrete. The company said he will lead the brand through a next phase of growth, with initial priorities on four fronts:

• improving operational excellence
• accelerating same-store sales growth
• increasing brand awareness
• elevating the guest experience

What does this change for the U.S. footprint?

The immediate practical question is whether a 150-plus-unit domestic base can scale faster under an operator who has run international systems for a burger major. The company did not disclose specific unit-growth targets, but the stated priorities — operations first, same-store sales second — signal that near-term gains are expected from existing restaurants rather than a development sprint.

The timing favors chicken. Top 500 chain restaurant sales slowed again in 2025 as consumers pulled back on dining, but chicken ranked among the thriving sectors, alongside coffee, beverages and snacks. A fast-casual chicken concept with established sourcing and a distinctive fried-and-roasted menu enters that environment with a tailwind that burger and casual dining do not currently enjoy.

Ownership sits with Corporación Multi Inversiones, or CMI, a family-owned Guatemalan conglomerate. The U.S. business answers to CMI Foods, whose global CEO, Jose Gregorio Baquero, framed the appointment in operational terms.

"Julio combines deep operational expertise with sound business judgment and a proven record of delivering results," Baquero said in a statement. "He is the right leader to guide Campero into its next stage of growth."

Founded in Guatemala in 1971, Pollo Campero built its reputation on fried and roasted chicken and now operates across Guatemala, El Salvador, Mexico, Honduras and Ecuador in addition to its U.S. footprint.

Sánchez's first moves — operations, same-store sales, awareness, guest experience — mirror the playbook he ran at CKE International and Church's Chicken. Whether that playbook converts a 150-unit regional presence into a national chicken contender will define his tenure.