Thursday, February 14, 2019

[UPDATE] Cook Out Snags McDonough Pollo Tropical, Others Up For Grabs

North Carolina-based Cook Out, which specializes in "Char-Grilled" hamburgers and features over 40 different flavors of milkshakes, has reportedly purchased the former Pollo Tropical in McDonough with plans to open a new restaurant in its place.  


The Pollo Tropical opened in a newly constructed outparcel during the summer of 2016 in the busy South Point shopping center along GA Highway 20 in Henry County. This past December, the McDonough location, along with eight others in metro Atlanta, were abruptly closed by the restaurant's parent's company Fiesta Restaurant Group Inc. (FRGI), as part of a "Strategic Renewal Plan" that took the group out of the state entirely.

Because We Care Henry County South, a local website dedicated to coverage of Stockbridge, Hapeville, Morrow and other south Atlanta communities, first reported on the sale Wednesday.  The post did not indicate a purchase price or timeline but did indicate that Cook Out plans to convert the existing building, a wise move considering how new it is.

After entering Georgia in mid 2013, Cook Out has grown to thirty seven locations in the state with at least two more coming soon to an outparcel of Peachtree Mall in Columbus at 3131 Manchester Expressway and in place of a former restaurant at 609 Slappey Boulevard in Albany.

Over the past few years Pollo Tropical built and later vacated a total of seventeen restaurants in metro Atlanta.

A former Pollo Tropical restaurant in East Cobb was later demolished and rebuilt and reopened as a Regions Bank late last year.  Former locations in Hiram and Gainesville were converted and reopened as Del Taco restaurants, while a location in Alpharetta near North Point Mall was converted into a Chase BankArby's, in growth mode once more, converted and reopened in a former Pollo Tropical in Johns Creek.

A site plan for the Marietta location on Cobb Parkway in the Marietta Trade Center shopping center indicates it is becoming a Pollo Campero.

Former Pollo Tropical restaurants remain available in Smyrna, Newnan, Tucker, Cumming, Snellville, Austell, Woodstock, Kennesaw and Buford, although real estate sources indicates deals are pending on a number of them. 

What would you like to see open in place of your local former Pollo Tropical?  Why do you think Pollo Tropical failed in Atlanta for a second time?  Where would you like to see Cook Out open next?

Please share your thoughts below  

3 comments:

Ham said...

As far as fast food burgers go Cook Out is decent, but let's be honest that isn't a very high bar. Anyway, much better than Mickey D's but lagging way behind Chik-fil-a.

Anonymous said...

...with fast food, and resatuarants in general, it is all about the “employees”. Lazy, bad-attitude-havin, sloppy ones will ruin any establishment. Hire the wrighte folks, and the customers will return.

Anonymous said...

I'd like Arby's to open in the Tucker Pollo Tropical location. There isn't one between Lilburn and Briarcliff/N. Druid.

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