If you're en route to the US from Central America and you smell fried chicken wafting through the main cabin, chances are someone has smuggled a box of Pollo Campero on the flight.
The 52-year-old fast-food chicken chain has fewer than 100 restaurants in the US. But in its home base of Central America, the brand has a cult-like following similar to In-N-Out.
And like In-N-Out, Campero fans in the US are known to take boxes of the brand's food home after visiting family in Guatemala and El Salvador, where the brand has more than 200 restaurants.
"The plane is full of Campero chicken," Blas Escarcega, Pollo Campero's director of franchise development, told Business Insider in a recent interview. "The pilot even has to say, "Please seal your packages for consideration of other passengers.'"
But soon, US fans might not have to travel too far to get their hands on Campero's famous fried chicken.
The Guatemalan family behind Pollo Campero, which stands for "country chicken," is worth $3 billion, according to a Forbes estimate. And, they are using their wealth to invest in the chain's US expansion – roughly $190 million over the next three years.
I visited a Pollo Campero near my home in Southern California. The menu was so big, I had to go twice. The menu is a mashup of the best offerings found at Chick-fil-A, Popeyes, KFC, and El Pollo Loco.
Here's a closer look at the brand: