If anything is recession proof, it might just be a good piece of chicken.

Anthony Pellizzi, the owner of the new Pollo Campero restaurant on St. Nicholas Avenue in Ridgewood certainlty hope so.

At a recent ribbon cutting ceremony celebrating the grand opening of the restaurant, Pellizzi said Ridgewood, with its growing Latino population, is the ideal location for a new Pollo Campero, now a multinational chain with franchises all over the world.

"If you look at this community, this area of Ridgewood is a strong commercial area," Pellizzi said.

He said market research has shown the population within a half-mile radius of the store, located at 357 St. Nicholas Avenue off of Myrtle Avenue, has grown to roughly 52,000 people.

Of those, 36,000 are Latino or of Latino descent, Pellizzi said. There's a "good Hispanic base" in the area familiar with the Pollo Campero brand, he said.

He expects the restaurant will appeal to non-Latinos as well. "We believe once people understand the brand and taste the food it can become one of the primary destinations in Ridgewood," Pellizzi said.

Councilwoman Diana Reyna, who attended the ribbon cutting, said the restaurant, has the potential to become an important influence in the community. Indeed Pollo Campero has already started giving back; at the grand opening, the company made a sizable donation to the New Land Community Center.

"We're hoping that Pollo Campero is the type of business that will be an icon for family gatherings," said Reyna.

Pellizzi said if anything can survive these troubled economic times, it's a family-friendly restaurant like Pollo Campero that specialized in traditional dishes made fresh on the spot.

"I think a lot of the middle class community is experiencing the trickle down effect of the economy," Pellizzi said. One result, he said, is that families are eating out less.

But if the Pollo Campero succeeds in building solid name recognition, he said, that could change. "The challenge we have is getting people to identify with Pollo Campero," he said. (Daniel Bush)