Wheaton’s El Pollo Rico reopened its doors last week, but the long lines for its succulent chicken weren’t translating into increased business for neighboring stores in the Ennalls Avenue strip mall, according to shopkeepers.
The rotisserie chicken mecca had been closed since mid-July, when its owners were charged with harboring illegal immigrants, structuring deposits to avoid currency reporting requirements and money laundering. Six alleged illegal immigrants working at the restaurant were detained as part of a federal investigation into whether the restaurant’s owners employed and harbored illegal immigrants.
Janet, an owner of nearby T.J. Hair Salon, who refused to give her last name, said her salon had about 100 clients a day before the raid but now sees about 45.
“They’re scared about things,” Janet said of her clients. “Most of the people around here in Wheaton don’t have papers and don’t want to be close to anybody who’d send them home. We’ve lost a lot of business, and they’re not coming back. People aren’t going to trust this area again.”
Some store managers at the strip mall said they prefer it when El Pollo Rico’s doors are closed.
“I’m not really happy when they’re open,” said Mark D’Amico, manager of Henry’s Insurance Agency. “The people who frequent [El Pollo Rico] have no respect for others. They double-park, everybody’s honking, there’s no place for our customers to leave their cars.”
Ranger Surplus store manager Craig Cross said his business was better when El Pollo Rico was closed.
“There’s been about a 10 percent decrease in our business since they reopened,” Cross said. “Our average is definitely hurting. I’ve actually had people say they don’t want to deal with the crowds [El Pollo Rico] generates.”
All of the mall’s shopkeepers admitted to eating the chicken and agreed on one thing:
“I’ve got to give it to them,” Cross said. “The chicken is actually pretty darn good.”
