El Pollo Loco
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| Type | Privately held company |
|---|---|
| Industry | Fast food |
| Founded | Guasave, Sinaloa, 1975 |
| Headquarters | Costa Mesa, California |
| Number of locations | 450[1] |
| Key people | Steve Sather, [President, CEO] |
| Products | Flame-grilled chicken and related Mexican food |
| Owner(s) | Trimaran Capital Partners |
| Website | elpolloloco.com |
El Pollo Loco is a fast-food restaurant chain specializing in Mexican grilled chicken, headquartered in Costa Mesa, California.[1][2] "El Pollo Loco" is Spanish for "The Crazy Chicken".
Their main dish is pollo asado, a grilled marinated chicken. Over time, the chain has expanded into burritos and salads, and serves items that compete with Taco Bell, Del Taco and other Mexican-style restaurants.
Juan Francisco Ochoa started the restaurant in Guasave, Mexico, in 1975. By 1979, the chain had expanded over northern Mexico. In 1980, the first U.S. restaurant opened in Los Angeles, California, on Alvarado Street near Sixth Street.[3] In 1983, the American restaurants in the chain were acquired by Denny's, with an agreement where the Ochoa family could operate the restaurants in Mexico. American Securities Capital Partners acquired the restaurant in 1999, and sold it to current owner Trimaran Capital Partners in 2005.
In the United States, the El Pollo Loco chain primarily operates in the Southwest and California, with an expanding scattering of locations elsewhere. Restaurants are currently located in California, Nevada, Arizona, Utah, Texas, Illinois, and Connecticut. The chain opened several stores in metro Atlanta, Georgia and in the Hampton Roads of Virginia, but all closed by 2011. The chain's franchised stores in the Portland metropolitan area also closed in 2011. The chain had no other stores in Oregon.
[edit] References
- ^ a b Hamanaka, Kari (May 16, 2011). "El Pollo Loco Eyes End to Slump". Orange County Business Journal 34 (20): p. 6.
- ^ http://www.elpolloloco.com/company/contactus.html
- ^ The Legacy of El Pollo Loco, El Pollo Loco website
[edit] External links
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- Companies based in Irvine, California
- Retail companies established in 1975
- Fast-food chains of the United States
- Fast-food poultry restaurants
- Fast-food Mexican restaurants
- Fast-food franchises
- Regional restaurant chains in the United States
- Cuisine of the Southwestern United States
- Cuisine of the Western United States
- Restaurant stubs
