Pollo Campero has closed its restaurant in the Dining Terrace at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda, ending a roughly two-year run in a food court stall that has struggled to hold onto tenants for nearly a decade. The Guatemalan chicken chain's exit leaves behind another vacancy in a corner of the mall wedged between Subway and Panda Express.
The closure was first reported by Robert Dyer and later covered by Store Reporter, which noted that Pollo Campero had operated in the space for about two years before shutting down. According to the outlet, the chain expanded rapidly across the United States in 2024 and 2025, even as it quietly closed four locations nationwide in 2026. Per The MoCo Show, the Bethesda store specifically opened in July 2024, putting its tenure at roughly 26 months.
A Food Court Stall With a Revolving Door
Store Reporter notes that the space has a history of turnover stretching back years. Beefsteak, the veggie-forward fast-casual concept from celebrity chef José Andrés, had a branch at Westfield Montgomery Mall that permanently shuttered during the pandemic. That chain's national ambitions eventually collapsed entirely; its last surviving location, in Foggy Bottom, D.C., permanently closed in April 2024, according to Axios Washington D.C.
After Beefsteak's mall exit, Greek Aroma Grill moved into the spot, per Store Reporter, becoming the most recent occupant before Pollo Campero arrived. That Mediterranean halal concept lasted under seven months, opening in November 2022 and closing in May 2023, according to Store Reporter's earlier coverage. The Dining Terrace's turnover hasn't stopped there either — the same food court saw Falafel Inc. depart earlier this year, with The MoCo Show reporting that Westfield Montgomery has since re-leased stalls to newcomers like Ay! Mamá Taqueria and Kami Ramen.
The Rest of the Chain Is Still Growing Fast
The Bethesda closure comes even as Pollo Campero's broader U.S. footprint keeps expanding. The chain hit its 150th U.S. location in Victorville, California, in February, averaging two to three new store openings a month, according to a report published on CMI. That's up from 100 U.S. stores in April 2024, a jump fueled in part by a $190 million commitment from parent company CMI Foods aimed at reaching 250 U.S. locations by 2028, according to a PR Newswire release tied to the chain's 100th-store milestone in Miami Gardens, Florida.
Financially, the brand remains a heavyweight in the fast-casual chicken category. Pollo Campero appeared at No. 132 in the overall Top 500 Chains ranking, according to Technomic's Top 500 Chain Restaurant Report, as cited by Restaurant Business Magazine. Founded in Guatemala in 1971 by the Gutiérrez family, Pollo Campero now operates as part of the multinational conglomerate Corporación Multi Inversiones, with nearly 400 restaurants worldwide, per Wikipedia.
Montgomery County Diners Still Have Options
For local fans, the Bethesda closure doesn't mean Pollo Campero has left Montgomery County. The MoCo Show reports that the chain continues to run three other restaurants in the county, in Gaithersburg, Takoma Park, and Wheaton. Together, those are the chain's three other Montgomery County locations.
The chain has also added another Maryland location. Hoodline previously reported that Pollo Campero converted a former Boston Market at Snowden Square in Columbia, in neighboring Howard County, into a new restaurant back in April. That Maryland location, paired with the mall stall's short and turbulent tenant history, suggests the Bethesda departure has more to do with the particular economics of an enclosed food court than with any broader trouble for the chain itself.
