El Pollo Loco, the nation’s leading fire-grilled chicken restaurant, announced a comprehensive brand refresh rolling out on May 15th. The brand will lean into its passion for Fire-Grilled Chicken and introduce a new look while continuing its legacy of serving convenient and quality food options to guests.
El Pollo Loco has been transparent about its vision for a three-year brand turnaround, which began when CEO Liz Williams took the helm in March 2024. Since then, El Pollo Loco has bolstered its leadership team bringing in Chief Development Officer, Tim Welsh and Chief People Officer, Bjorn Erland to join the already strong C-Suite of Maria Hollandsworth, Ira Fills, Anne Jollay, Jill Adams and Clark Matthews. Additionally, the brand brought in a new creative agency, Innocean USA, to introduce the brand to new consumers and remind existing customers why they’ve loved El Pollo Loco for the last 50 years.
A brand manifesto video posted to the El Pollo Loco YouTube account features the new tagline Let’s Get Loco accompanied by narration of the brand’s origin, contrasting the difference between “loco” and “crazy” and ultimately encouraging viewers to draw inspiration from its founder and pursue their own “loco” passions.
Updated consumer touchpoints will include digital and in-store experiences with new color schemes, fonts and layouts, as well as the Let’s Get Loco tagline, all intended to create a unified customer experience. An ad campaign highlighting the new positioning and reinforcing the brand’s commitment to quality through its Fire-Grilled Chicken will appear on tv, social and digital.
“The goal of this brand refresh is to ensure people know who we are, what we stand for and what they can expect from us before they even walk through the door of a restaurant,” said Jill Adams, El Pollo Loco CMO. “We’ve been grilling citrus marinated chicken in our restaurants for the last 50 years, and we’re excited to share our dedication, or should I say ‘loco’, with the world.”
The physical restaurants are getting a refresh, as well. In October 2024, El Pollo Loco unveiled its new iconic restaurant prototype, showcasing a design that is both enduring and modern. The new restaurant prototype retains beloved brand elements such as the fire stack gradient, logo, and font, while introducing an updated color palette, footprint, and materials. These enhancements establish a bold visual identity that reflects El Pollo Loco’s commitment to innovation and efficiency. More than 200 restaurants now also feature kiosks alongside cashiers for those customers who prefer a more autonomous digital ordering experience.
El Pollo Loco’s brand refresh is part of a broader strategy to strengthen its identity, keep pace with cultural trends, and increase awareness as it looks to continue its growth trajectory.
