Whenever Christina Fiallos would go home to Guatemala City she would bring back a box of Pollo Campero chicken. When friends would visit Central America she would ask them to do the same.

But a couple of boxes a year of the Guatemalan chain's signature lightly fried chicken were never enough to satisfy Fiallos' cravings for the taste of home. Now, she's thrilled that she can get the chicken she grew up eating as a child as often as she wants.

Miami is the latest site in the U.S. expansion for Pollo Campero, which bills itself as the largest Latin American chicken restaurant chain. The chain opened its first store in Miami-Dade or Broward counties last week at 2800 SW Eighth St., as it moves in on territory held by homegrown chain Pollo Tropical. Another Pollo Campero will open in Cutler Bay by year's end.

''The taste is really unique,'' said Fiallos, 37, who moved to Miami 17 years ago. ``I've tried other fried chicken, but it was never the same flavor. I almost cried when they opened. It's like part of my life.''

Fiallos is among the crowds of about 15,000 customers that have been served during Pollo Campero's first week in Miami. Demand is so strong that there have frequently been waits as long as 40 minutes during peak lunch and dinner times.

It doesn't help that the 1,900-square-foot restaurant is so tiny it only has seating for 32 people inside and another 30 outside.

`A GREAT PROBLEM'

Management put up tents to provide shelter for customers waiting outside in the hot sun and rain. They're also considering hiring someone to direct traffic in the tiny parking lot to prevent any possible accidents.

''We have been full to capacity from opening to closing,'' said Jorge Llapure, Florida director of operations for Pollo Campero franchisee Levy Campero. ``It's a great problem to have.''

Campero's first Florida restaurant opened in January in Boynton Beach. Franchisee Levy Campero, owned by Chicago restaurant company Levy Family Partners, plans to open five more restaurants in Florida next year. Potential future markets include Pembroke Pines, Kendall, Miami Lakes and Hialeah.

Although Pollo Campero was only started in 1971 by the Gutiérrez family, the brand has grown to more than 280 restaurants worldwide in 11 countries, serving more than 75 million customers a year. In 2007, the brand rang up annual sales of $400 million.

The impetus for U.S. expansion came after restaurants at Guatemala and El Salvador airports became the last stop for U.S. residents returning home.

The first U.S. restaurant opened in 2002 in California to record sales. But U.S expansion really took off in the last year since the company opened a U.S. headquarters in Dallas. Pollo Campero now has 41 U.S. restaurants and a target of 500 by 2012. U.S. sales for 2007 were $60 million, with an average volume of $1.68 million.

''Over the long run, I think they have an excellent opportunity because Americans are more willing to try different foods and spicier foods,'' said Dean Haskell, a restaurant industry consultant and former Wall Street analyst.

EXPANDING THE MENU

While initially Pollo Campero draws its crowds from Central Americans hungry for a taste of home, the chain is also trying to retool its menu to appeal to a wide range of Latin and Anglo customers.

The U.S. restaurants earlier this year added grilled chicken to the menu. Latin side dishes have been expanded to include black beans and rice to appeal to the Cuban audience, along with the namesake Campero beans that feature the pinto variety popular among Central Americans.

Campero management hope variety will help them as they take on Pollo Tropical in Florida. Pollo Tropical declined to comment.

''The biggest difference is that we offer customers a choice,'' said Jorge Armeteros, executive vice president of franchise operations for Pollo Campero's U.S. operations. ``Nowhere else are you going to get grilled and fried chicken in the same place.''

Industry experts say the challenge will be how successful Pollo Campero is at creating repeat customers in markets without a large contingent of customers with ties to Central America. Pollo Tropical struggled in its first attempt to expand outside of its core markets during the early 1990s, but has been branching out successfully in recent years.

''For the brand to be a national brand it's got to have strong unit economics outside the heritage markets,'' said Dennis Lombardi, an executive at WD Partners, a restaurant consulting firm. ``That will be real test of whether they're going to be a niche player, a regional player or a national player.''

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