El Pollo Loco recently signed new development agreements with two existing franchisees, in Louisiana and Southern California.
“We are thrilled to continue developing our presence in Louisiana and Southern California, especially alongside two existing franchisee partners,” says Brian Carmichall, Chief Development Officer of El Pollo Loco. “With franchise development being such a vital part of our company’s strategic growth plan, we put tremendous value on our relationships with our franchisees and realize that we wouldn’t be where we are without them.”
Peglion LLC – El Pollo Loco’s second-largest franchisee with 34 restaurants in Southern California – has committed to opening three more locations in the San Diego, California area.
“We are extremely excited about adding to our portfolio and proud to serve El Pollo Loco’s delicious, signature citrus-marinated, fire-grilled chicken and authentic Mexican-inspired offerings in a safe, clean, comfortable and friendly environment,” says Bill Engel of Peglion. “With more than 30 years in this business, our commitment has always been to create the best moments possible for our customers and we can’t wait to welcome more of them at our new restaurants.”
Listo Way Group LLC – which opened its very first El Pollo Loco restaurant in Lafayette, Louisiana in early 2018 – has agreed to open two additional locations over the next few years, in Baton Rouge and Lake Charles.
“We are eager to continue expanding El Pollo Loco’s presence in Louisiana and truly look forward to sharing our handcrafted dishes with the Baton Rouge and Lake Charles communities,” says Listo Way Group’s Jason Trotter.
The new restaurants will feature El Pollo Loco’s new L.A. Mex image design featuring an enhanced digitized experience – including “Pollo To Go” cubbies for mobile to-go and delivery orders, digital menu boards and GPS-enabled curbside pick-up, all integrated with the company’s dynamic and versatile mobile app.
At El Pollo Loco restaurants, the chicken is always fresh, never frozen, marinated in a proprietary recipe of citrus, garlic and spice, fire-grilled over an open flame and hand-cut to order. The freshly grilled chicken serves as the base for an authentic selection of dishes, including family chicken meals, tacos, burritos, quesadillas, bowls and salads. The Pollo Fit section of the menu also offers low-calorie, vegan and even keto-certified options for followers of the keto diet.
The announcements come at a time when El Pollo Loco is aggressively looking to expand its national footprint. Over the next few years, the plan is to remodel more than 300 of the brand’s 478 existing restaurants with the new prototype designs and develop 140 new restaurants in previously untapped markets such as Denver, Colorado Springs, and Albuquerque, to name a few.
