El Pollo Loco Announces Development Deals with 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,” said 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,” said 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,” said Listo Way Group’s Jason Trotter.
The new restaurants will feature El Pollo Loco’s exciting 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.
About El Pollo Loco
El Pollo Loco (Nasdaq:LOCO) is the nation’s leading fire-grilled chicken restaurant with a mission to bring people together around food, family, and culture in the communities it serves. El Pollo Loco is renowned for its handcrafted L.A. Mex food, an innovative blend of traditional Mexican cuisine and better-for-you eating, that Los Angeles is known for. Since 1980, El Pollo Loco has successfully opened and maintained more than 465 company-owned and franchised restaurants in Arizona, California, Nevada, Texas, Utah, and Louisiana while remaining true to its Mexican-American heritage. El Pollo Loco continues to grow and evolve, nourishing connections to tradition, culture, and one another through fire-grilled goodness that makes us feel like familia. For more information, visit us at www.elpolloloco.com.
The post El Pollo Loco Announces Development Deals with Existing Franchisees in Louisiana and Southern California first appeared on RestaurantNews.com.
