Their first store in Jacksonville opened last week in the Markets @ SJTC in front of Costco.
Not only has it been an overwhelming success as there have been lines out the door and the drive up has had as many as 12-15 cars in line at most times.
The service is brisk if not rushed due to the large crowds. If you take the onsite post meal survey they will give you $5 off your next meal.
They appear to be still working out the kinks in the service, but the food was pretty good for the setting. Granted they are not high order presentation, but represent good value, especially with their family style meals.
The Tropical Salmon had the same serving size as Applebees but was $5 dollars less.
Quote from: spuwho on December 02, 2010, 08:17:39 PM
Not only has it been an overwhelming success as there have been lines out the door and the drive up has had as many as 12-15 cars in line at most times.
Some people don't like lines at the drive thru.....
Quotehttp://jacksonville.com/community/jacksonville-community-news/2010-11-24/story/jacksonville-woman-arrested-after-pollo
Jacksonville woman arrested after Pollo Tropical manager hit in drive-through
Posted: November 24, 2010 - 9:56am
By Dan Scanlan
An apparent hankering for fast-food chicken led to the arrest of a 32-year-old Jacksonville woman Tuesday night on after the manager of the Town Center's Pollo Tropical restaurant was hit by a car cutting into its drive-through line.
Jatasha N. Jefferson of the 1400 block of East 27th Street is charged with aggravated assault, according to jail records.
Blog: Jacksonville's first Pollo Tropical opens at Town Center
Witnesses said the driver of a brown Jeep Compass tried to cut in line about 7 p.m. at the new restaurant at 4863 Town Center Parkway. So manager Charles Phillips, 53, told her she had to "go to the back of the line like everybody else," according to the arrest report. But she continued to pull in between other cars, almost hitting one as the managaer tried to control the traffic.
Phillips got into the line of cars to stop the Jeep, but the driver continued and hit his left knee. The manager told her that if she hit him again, he was calling police. But she bumped him again as she cut into line, the arrest report said. She was still trying to place an order until she was arrested.
Jefferson told officers she never hit anyone and witnesses "were lying," the report said. Officers observed swelling on the manager's left knee.
After class tonight, around 7:35pm, I decided to give it a try. It took me 25 minutes after parking my car to get a "to go" order. The place is definitely popular. Our food tasted great, but they made a number of mistakes with my order. It looked like it was right when I peeked in the bag, but after taking everything out at home, it wasn't. :(
Does anyone else feel like the Markets at SJTC is just one big clusterf**k? I swear every time I'm in the area, I almost get hit. There is no common sense to the traffic design. The entrances/exits on the corner with CVS, Panda, Pollo and Zaxby's are insane. Nothing's marked and no one stops at any of the hard to see stop signs. The entrance to CVS/Pollo off of Gate leads right into a lane in the opposite direction. I drive a compact car, and I felt very "squished" trying to park.
Anyway, food was good, but the logistics of getting it sucked! I'm not sure it is worth it. :-\
Quote from: brainstormer on December 02, 2010, 10:19:24 PM
Does anyone else feel like the Markets at SJTC is just one big clusterf**k? I swear every time I'm in the area, I almost get hit. There is no common sense to the traffic design. The entrances/exits on the corner with CVS, Panda, Pollo and Zaxby's are insane. Nothing's marked and no one stops at any of the hard to see stop signs. The entrance to CVS/Pollo off of Gate leads right into a lane in the opposite direction. I drive a compact car, and I felt very "squished" trying to park.
Anyway, food was good, but the logistics of getting it sucked! I'm not sure it is worth it. :-\
Agreed, Traffic planning on Gate between JTB and Town Center Parkway is horrific. I can actually cut through the light at Costco, go behind Best Buy and come out at Chipotle on most days faster than navigating the logjam in front of CVS and Panda Express.
You think it is bad now, you should have seen it on Black Friday....and what it will be like in the run up to Christmas.
Hopefully the poor traffic planning won't choke off the business long term and it will stay viable.
Quoteauthor=Non-RedNeck Westsider link=topic=10533.msg190374#msg190374 date=1291342011]
Some people don't like lines at the drive thru.....
http://jacksonville.com/community/jacksonville-community-news/2010-11-24/story/jacksonville-woman-arrested-after-pollo
That manager's a trooper. he was working the door today with his left leg in a cast while handing out menus.
This was my 2nd visit this week to Pollo tropical with co-workers, they can't get enough of it! First round I had the chiptole chicken sandwich and wings. Today we had the ribs, quarter chicken and pulled pork.
The chicken is their speciality, but I was surprised by flavor and quality of the ribs. (i've had worse at bonos and paid twice as much)
For what you pay it really isn't a bad deal. It just takes some getting used to because of the lines. You wait to get in, then you wait to order..then you wait for your food. Other than that no complaints.
Quote from: spuwho on December 02, 2010, 10:27:45 PM
Agreed, Traffic planning on Gate between JTB and Town Center Parkway is horrific...
Hopefully the poor traffic planning won't choke off the business long term and it will stay viable.
Am I the only one who thinks the town center has lost the original charm? I remember when it first opened, you could park, walk around safely and generally have a good time. It was more relaxed and enjoyable when it was smaller. Now it is just a massive mess, with way too many stressed out drivers on cell phones speeding through poorly designed intersections. I personally think going there is just more of a hassle than it used to be. I swear walk-ability has been reduced because of the insane increase in traffic. Maybe this is all just because I'm now 30. ;D
Was there yesterday for an early dinner, my only surprise? That the line out the door wasn't 4 x longer! This place is as close as it gets to REAL Caribbean Cuisine. If it wasn't for the road and parking planning from hell, I would have sworn that I was back in Cartagena... Poulet boucanée (buccaneer-style chicken) remains popular in Colombia and the Indies... If you never discovered why the people of the BBQ - aka: The Boucanée(r's) became so famous for their grilling that they established a Pirate Culture that spanned the globe - based on their unique food. It was historically so good that it came into the American South through places like Smyrna, Fernandina, Pensacola, New Orleans and even our own Ortega areas. Most Southerners think we invented it, but nope, maybe we improved upon it with sweet sauces but then you should sample the guava sauce!
EXCELLENT, EXCELLENT AND EXCELLENT...
OCKLAWAHA(http://gifsanimados.espaciolatino.com/pirata.gif)(http://www.stickergiant.com/Merchant2/imgs/125/f1462_125.gif)
Quote from: brainstormer on December 02, 2010, 10:57:26 PM
Am I the only one who thinks the town center has lost the original charm? I remember when it first opened, you could park, walk around safely and generally have a good time. It was more relaxed and enjoyable when it was smaller.
I agree...it's gotten worse, especially in the last 6 months. My wife attributes it to Old Navy moving in from Regency as she says getting parking around Target is terrible since ON arrived.
I think it started when they opened the Markets with such a small setback which forced them to shrink the parking areas and have pedestrians compete with moving vehicles. This created such bad backups on TCP unto Gate Parkway, that during evenings, Gate would backup unto the JTB exit ramp. Bringing ToysRUs down from Regency and duplicating the BestBuy's at Regency and Avenues here make it worse.
I don't want to get on a transportation planning rant here, but this exemplifies the idea that any well funded proposal trumps good planning in this town.
SJTC is becoming a retail vacuum on the Southside as it absorbs retail share from distressed Regency and making the Avenues mediocre.
In the mean time, try out Pollo Tropical (if the line is reasonable) for lunch and see if it does anything for you.
We love it. We went on the 3rd day it was open and we only had to wait about 5 minute to get our food. We went back Weds. around 3pm (usually a very dead time for most places) and the cars were lined around the building and about 15 people were waiting under the tent outside to get in the door. The food is delicious and cheap (a 1/4 chicken meal with 2 sides is under $6- it's a lot of food) but I'm not waiting 20 minutes for it. Word of mouth is blowing that place up, combine that with the crazy holiday crowds out there and I decided I'm not going to head out there until after the first of the year. I hate the traffic, people drive like asses and it's not worth the stress.
I especially love the arrows that point both ways in front of the drive through lane. When the drive through wraps around the front of the building it only takes one car in the middle of that restricted space to stop traffic all the way around to Toys-R-Us exit, perhaps putting a line in the center of the parking lot lane would keep people off to the side a bit. The reverse flow with the CVS drive through running counter to American practice, southpaw style, is also a mind bender. The moral of the story is to park in another lot and walk to the restaurant.
OCKLAWAHA
QuoteAm I the only one who thinks the town center has lost the original charm?
It never had charm to begin with.
Reminds me of something that President Kennedy once said about Washington, D.C. being a city of Northern charm and Southern efficiency... LOL
Never heard of this place? Is it a chain?
Haven't eaten at the one at SJTC yet, refuse to until I can drive safely in that area. Use to eat at a few in Orlando whenever I was down there.
Can't tell you how many times I've almost been hit due to the bad traffic pattern at the Markets. As it is, when I worked off of Gate Parkway, it was faster and safer to drive around to the UNF exit and come in that side.
Quote from: Coolyfett on December 03, 2010, 09:15:34 AM
Never heard of this place? Is it a chain?
yes...really big in south Florida
I've renamed this thread. :D
Pollo Tropical is to Grilled Chicken and rice as McDonald is to Hamburger and Fries.
I can't say much more than that. I went there last night. It was decent. It is pretty good for what you pay, but please please don't think its a fancy dancy place to go eat. Trust me, its not the best food I ever eaten in its own category.
For the Town Center, it will commit its own economic suicide in a decade or less when people will get tired of the traffic, style, and other reasons, that people would go back to the 'indoor' malls.
-Josh
Outdoor malls will be more popular in good weather places, but most outdoor malls built today are retrofits of dead indoor malls, and they feature higher density and a mix of uses rather than simply an indoor mall without a roof. They truly can be called "town centers" as that is what they have become.
Pollo Tropical definitely isn't fancy and doesn't advertise itself as such, but it does have a decent wine and beer list for a fast food restaurant and offers higher quality food and something different with a sauce bar of creative sauces. There is a similar fast food "organic" burger chain here in Atlanta that offers more adult products and a fun katsup bar with a variety of flavored katsups.
I think the towncenter is typical Jacksonville in a nutshell. They started with something nice, intimate (as you can be with a development that scale) and walkable, but it's turned into a microcosm of typical J'ville. Now it's sprawled across several acres forcing most (read - lazy) people to hop in their cars and drive around the corner from DSW to PF Changs passing by all the other stores to 'window shop' from the comfort of their shiny cars. This leads to a terrifying experience when you're trying to walk around - I've been hit 3 times, nothing serious, but still.....
I'm willing to bet that most of the people who live in the apartments behind still get in their cars to go to the Cheesecake Factory, I'm just saying....
QuoteI think the towncenter is typical Jacksonville in a nutshell.
No such thing! Come to Avondale or Riverside for us to show you A-Typical.
All the brew-ha-ha over chain food. LOL!
Quote from: mtraininjax on December 05, 2010, 06:09:58 AM
QuoteI think the towncenter is typical Jacksonville in a nutshell.
No such thing! Come to Avondale or Riverside for us to show you A-Typical.
All the brew-ha-ha over chain food. LOL!
After living in Murray Hill for the first 5-6 years in J'ville, Riverside & 5-points were the only places I went. I find it laughable that people drive 30 minutes to put up with all of the BS. Shopping, maybe, but for the food - never. You're correct, there's too many awesome choices here without having to support some national chain, with their pre-packaged food and such.
I prefer to walk in the kitchen of one of our local restaurants on a tuesday afternoon and smell the many different stocks that they're preparing for the week to come. Mmmmmm.
Chain restaurant it might be Westsider, but this is one little place that is well worth the trip... Having lived in Colombia/Panama/Brasil and Suriname, on and off since 1982, this is about as close as it gets. I frequent most of the Caribbean-Spanish restaurants around town and with few exceptions I found this to be the more typical, or at least more consistent.
OCKLAWAHA
Quote from: Ocklawaha on December 05, 2010, 12:56:18 PM
Chain restaurant it might be Westsider, but this is one little place that is well worth the trip... Having lived in Colombia/Panama/Brasil and Suriname, on and off since 1982, this is about as close as it gets. I frequent most of the Caribbean-Spanish restaurants around town and with few exceptions I found this to be the more typical, or at least more consistent.
OCKLAWAHA
Maybe. I won't judge this one until I try it, I was more or less talking about the other chain restaurants at SJTC. Why would I drive to Maggiano's when Primi Piatti is in my backyard? As far as the Carribean / Spanish places, I stick with Carribean Sunrise on Main, Carribean Express at Lem Turner & Ribault Scenic and Puerto Plata on Blanding - all three of these are within a few miles of work and home.
If I'm out on the SS, I'll stop by and give the Pollo a try, but I am truly a fan and supporter of the local restaurant.
Quote from: Non-RedNeck Westsider on December 05, 2010, 02:52:40 PM
Quote from: Ocklawaha on December 05, 2010, 12:56:18 PM
Chain restaurant it might be Westsider, but this is one little place that is well worth the trip... Having lived in Colombia/Panama/Brasil and Suriname, on and off since 1982, this is about as close as it gets. I frequent most of the Caribbean-Spanish restaurants around town and with few exceptions I found this to be the more typical, or at least more consistent.
OCKLAWAHA
Maybe. I won't judge this one until I try it, I was more or less talking about the other chain restaurants at SJTC. Why would I drive to Maggiano's when Primi Piatti is in my backyard? As far as the Carribean / Spanish places, I stick with Carribean Sunrise on Main, Carribean Express at Lem Turner & Ribault Scenic and Puerto Plata on Blanding - all three of these are within a few miles of work and home.
If I'm out on the SS, I'll stop by and give the Pollo a try, but I am truly a fan and supporter of the local restaurant.
Had lunch there yesterday, Mojo Pork, Rice & Beans - I gotta say, it was pretty good. The pork was tender and juicy with a just enough spices to keep it interesting, without overdoing it The rice and beans were, eh, rice and beans, but the flavor once everything was mixed together - awesome. Added some of their Poyo Poyo spice and all was well with the world for about 15 minutes.
Then you figure that I was out the door for about $8 with more food thatn I could eat.....
I think I need to try and find more work off of Gate Pkwy.
Pollo Tropical is good, dont know why it takes Jax so long to get most things.
I grew up in South Florida, so I've been desperately missing Pollo Tropical, but man do we ever need a few more locations here. I went to the Town Center location a few nights ago and there was a hostess. The line was out the door, and the wait for a table was 20 minutes. Craziness.
because Keith, most of them think of us as poor, uneducated folk who cant afford to eat at places like Pollo Tropical!
Quote from: fsujax on January 19, 2011, 11:28:38 AM
because Keith, most of them think of us as poor, uneducated folk who cant afford to eat at places like Pollo Tropical!
LOL! I think that there be more truth to your comment than we might believe. Is there a perception that Jacksonville is not "Florida" enough when compared to cities that are south of the "Sweet Tea Line"? Florida is a unique state where we go north by going south, you know! ; )
I was at a meeting yesterday and no kidding the chair of this Commission joked about Jacksonville being in Georgia! I about fell out of my chair! I told him some of us may talk like we are, but we are a part of Florida!
Perception is reality. About 46% of all residents of Northeast Florida are from out of state and 7% are from outside the country. 1.9% are from Puerto Rico or US Territories. That leaves about 45% from inside the state of Florida where many of those residents are actually domestic migrant families from South Florida who have relocated. I would pin Northeast Florida's "southern" population at only about 10-20% max, though in certain areas on the outskirts or on the westside/northside it seems much higher than that. We certainly let the minority southern group, many of whom have come from Lake City or smaller more rural Florida areas over the past few decades, run things in town.
Of the 46% from out of state, the cities/states that bring the most people to NE FL are Atlanta, NY/NJ tri-state area, San Diego, Norfolk, DC, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Philadelphia.
Of the 7% from foreign countries, most come from Cuba, Colombia, the Philippines, Mexico, and perhaps China or one of the Caribbean counties.
Of the 1.9% from a US territory, probably 90% come from Puerto Rico and 10% from Guam or some military territory.
And finally, of the 45% from in-state, probably 30-40% are from South Florida areas and another 30-40% are children of northern or South Florida transplants.
A county like St. Johns County is mostly northern transplant (like upwards of 60-70% from north of the M-D line).
Finally, our Hispanic population has grown immensely this past decade and anyone can see the difference. I bet when Census figures come out, they will show that close to 10% of Northeast Florida is Hispanic, up from about 5-6%. More Pollo Tropicals in the pipeline? I would think so!
My family can be considered Southern by some with an untrained eye, yet my dad was born in Virginia, my mother is from Chicago and her family is from Sweden, my dad's mother is from Philadelphia, though has been in Jax or the last 50 years, and both my parents lived in Miami for the better part of 5-8 years and got engaged before moving up to Jax. Heck I was conceived and almost born in Miami. My great grandparents on my dad's side moved down from Buffalo and Wisconsin. I grew up with Cream of Wheat and northern dishes. This and my family can still be considered Southern (and is just by nature of my family history in NE FL).
That's the typical makeup of a "native" Northeast Florida family. A complete mixture of fresh northern transplant and 3rd/4th generation northern transplant turned "southern."
Quote from: simms3 on January 19, 2011, 02:19:50 PM
More Pollo Tropicals in the pipeline? I would think so!
I now hope so - at least one more, nearer my side of town.