History
Juan Francisco Ochoa started the restaurant in Guasave, Sinaloa, Mexico, in 1975.[6]
By 1979, the chain had expanded throughout northern Mexico. On December 8, 1980, Ochoa opened his first U.S. restaurant in Los Angeles, California, at 503 South Alvarado Street, near west Sixth Street.[7][8] The first American location was only 1,500 ft2 and it grossed more than $125,000 per month during its first year of operation.[9] The initial menu was very simple: a choice of a half or whole chicken with a packet of warm tortillas and a cup of salsa.[9] A second location was opened in Santa Ana in the fall of 1981.[9]
In 1983, the 19 American restaurants in the chain were acquired by Denny's with an agreement that the Ochoa family would continue to operate the restaurants in Mexico under the corporate name El Pollo Loco, S.A. de C.V. where it continues to operate.[10] After 18 months of new ownership, the American owned El Loco Pollo, Inc. had increased the number of locations in Southern California from 19 to 29 while adding 6 locations in distant Houston, Texas, with almost all of the new locations being franchise operations.[11]
Four years later the 70-unit El Pollo Loco was acquired by TW Services when TW Services purchased El Pollo Loco's then parent Denny's Inc. in 1987 for $218 million in cash.[12][13]
In May 1990, El Pollo Loco opened its 200th restaurant. That new restaurant was located in Yorba Linda, California.[14] During the early 1990s the company experimented with many different concepts to increase marketshare in the competitive Southern Californian fast food industry. In 1994 the company test marketed at a select few locations: a side-dish bar, salsa bar, and barbecue at some locations, while other locations tried selling french fries or ice cream.[15] Only salsa bars survived the test and were introduced chainwide the following year.[16] The company also tested home delivery and catering in 1995.[16]
In August 1995, El Pollo Loco earned a place in the Guinness Book of World Records for building the world's largest burrito in Anaheim, California. The burrito was 3,112 ft long and weighed two tons.[17]
In December 1995, John A. Romandetti replaced Raymond J. Perry as president and chief executive officer.[18] Sixteen months later, Romandetti was replaced by Nelson J. Marchioli as president and chief executive officer in April 1997 when Romandetti was transferred to sister company Denny's as its new CEO.[19]
On July 12, 1997, Flagstar, the parent company of El Pollo Loco and Denny's, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.[20]
American Securities Capital Partners acquired the 274-location El Pollo Loco in 1999 for $114 Million from Advantica (formerly called TW Services)[21] and later sold it to Trimaran Capital Partners in 2005 for $400 Million with 328 locations.[22][23]
In April 2001, Stephen Carley replaced Nelson J. Marchioli as president and chief executive officer. Marchioli left EPL, Inc., to head its former parent company Advantica.[24]
In January 2007, El Pollo Loco was featured on NBC TV's hit show The Apprentice: Los Angeles where contestants competed by creating and selling versions of El Pollo Loco's Pollo Bowl.[25] El Pollo Loco was recognized by the World Franchising Network as a Top Franchise for Hispanics in 2010.[26]
New locations were first open by franchisees in the states of Georgia,[27] Utah,[28] and Oregon in late 2007 and early 2008. The 400th location was opened in Chelsea, Massachusetts in May 2008.
In August 2010, president and chief executive officer Steve Carley unexpectedly resigned to head Red Robin Gourmet Burgers.[29]
In January 2011, Steve Sather was officially named president and chief executive officer after serving since the previous August as acting CEO.[30] The company had to exit Georgia in October 2011 due to bankruptcy of the franchisee and the resulting poor sales performance.[31]
In July 2014, El Loco Pollo (nasdaq: LOCO) became a publicly traded company on NASDAQ.[32][33]
In October 2016, the company announced that it had teamed up with a Louisiana-based franchisee who plans to build and open two units in Lafayette, Louisiana, sometime in 2018.[34] In the following year, the Louisiana-based franchisee announced that construction of the first Lafayette was going to start in the upcoming month with an anticipated opening in the late spring of 2018.[34] The first restaurant in Louisiana finally open in Lafayette in March 2018.[35]
In March 2018, Bernard Acoca replaced Steve Sather as president and chief executive officer. Acoca previously served as president of Teavana.[36] In October 2021, Acoca resigned, citing a desire "to pursue other opportunities".[37] In March 2022, El Pollo Loco announced that CFO Larry Roberts, who has been serving as interim CEO since October 2021,[38] was appointed as the company's new president and CEO.[39] COO Maria Hollandsworth assumed the role of interim CEO after Roberts left the company in November 2023.[40] Liz Williams became CEO and director in March 2024, after serving as president of Taco Bell International in 2020. Hollandsworth was also appointed president while remaining COO.[41]
Plans were announced in November 2021 of the opening of several restaurants in the Denver metropolitan area via two different Colorado-based franchises.[42] The first Colorado restaurant opened in Denver in November 2022.[43] At the time of opening, the company had 478 locations in Arizona, California, Nevada, Texas, Utah, and Louisiana, 196 of which were company owned.[44]
El Pollo Loco opened it's 500th location in October, 2024 in Colorado Springs, CO. https://investor.elpolloloco.com/news-releases/news-release-details/el-pollo-loco-celebrates-growth-milestone-500th-us-restaurant
