El Pollo Loco, Inc. announced the appointment of Miguel Lozano as Chief Operating Officer, effective April 1. Bringing 30 years of restaurant industry experience, Lozano is the third addition in 12 months to the newly restructured senior leadership team that includes Hector A. Muñoz, Chief Marketing Officer and Jennifer Jaffe, El Pollo Loco’s first Chief People Officer, to continue the pursuit of the brand’s transformation agenda.

Lozano returns to El Pollo Loco after having spent a 23-year career at Starbucks, most recently leading operations primarily in California. Since 2014, he was responsible for running 780 company-operated Starbucks stores in Southern California, which generated over $1.4 billion in sales. Lozano led a team of Regional Directors who consistently delivered best in class metrics in the U.S. business, making them one of the top performing regions in the system.

Before Starbucks, Lozano worked for El Pollo Loco for six years, starting as a Restaurant General Manager and working his way up to Area Leader when the brand was owned by Flagstar Corporation. He and his family then became an El Pollo Loco franchisee, owning and successfully operating a restaurant in La Habra, Calif. for seven years. 

“It is with much excitement that we welcome Miguel as our Chief Operating Officer and member of our Leadership Team,” says Bernard Acoca, president and chief executive officer at El Pollo Loco. “His proven leadership skills and extensive knowledge of the restaurant industry will be instrumental in helping El Pollo Loco simplify and transform our operating platform to ensure meaningful and sustainable growth for the future and also do it in a way that is consistent with our values.”

In his new role, Lozano will play a central part in formulating organizational strategy, driving brand growth, and profitability. He will create the vision for all operations, with an emphasis on achieving operational and financial excellence as the company seeks to make the third strategy of their transformation agenda come to life: simplify operations, making it easier to be an employee and franchisee.

“I’m thrilled to be returning to my El Pollo Loco family during this exciting time,”. Lozano says. “I look forward to working closely with the Leadership Team to elevate the employee and customer experience through the strengthening of El Pollo Loco operations.”