Frisco's to reopen Lancaster city restaurant Thursday

Frisco’s will reopen its Lancaster city restaurant Thursday at 11 a.m., nearly three weeks after the Peruvian-style chicken restaurant closed all four of its Lancaster County restaurants because of financial trouble due to declining sales.

Frisco’s co-owner and restaurant namesake Francisco “Frisco” Gomez De La Torre said the revival of the restaurant at 454 New Holland Ave. is possible now because of an unexpected outpouring of support from customers.

“This would not have happened if we didn’t have the support the community showed us after announcing our closing,” Gomez De La Torre told LNP | LancasterOnline. “It means the world to me and to my staff, everybody is absolutely ecstatic.”

Positive social media comments from dedicated Frisco’s fans helped convince the restaurant’s vendors as well as its Lancaster city landlord to work with the restaurant to extend payment plans, Gomez De La Torre said.

Gomez de la Torre said three Frisco’s locations outside Lancaster city won’t reopen, and that those landlords have already begun looking for other tenants.

The Lancaster city Frisco’s will have the same menu as before. It features Peruvian style chicken that is marinated and then roasted in a charcoal-fired rotisserie as well as sides such as fried plantains and yucca fries.

Frisco's, which previously operated all its locations with a total of about 35 employees, will recall 10 to 15 to reopen the Lancaster restaurant.

“We are going to do everything in our power to provide the same or better food quality and service,” Gomez De La Torre said.

A native of Peru, Gomez De La Torre was a manager at the downtown Lancaster Holiday Inn when he lost his job in March 2020 at the beginning of the pandemic. Switching careers, Gomez De La Torre fulfilled a lifelong dream by opening a restaurant that featured a chicken recipe from his home country. He owns the restaurant with Josh Rinier.

The Lancaster city restaurant’s brisk business after its fall 2020 opening is what encouraged Frisco’s owners to subsequently expand with locations near Lititz and Mount Joy as well as a Willow Street restaurant that debuted in October.

Frisco’s owners previously cited the restaurant’s rapid expansion beyond Lancaster city as a factor in the decision to close, which they announced July 12. Sales were slow to build at the newer locations and the company became more reliant on robust sales in Lancaster city, which began to slide over the winter, creating a financially unsustainable condition, they explained.