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Citrus-Marinated, Flame-Grilled Perfection
Made Fresh Daily
El Pollo Loco, pronounced “L Po-yo Lo-co” and Spanish for “The Crazy Chicken,” is the nation’s flame-grilled chicken leader with more than 400 restaurants in California, Arizona, Nevada, Texas, Illinois, Connecticut, Oregon, Utah.
Founded in Guasave, Mexico in 1975, El Pollo Loco’s long-term success stems from the unique preparation of its award-winning “pollo”-- fresh chicken marinated in a special recipe of herbs, spices and citrus juices passed down from the founding family. The marinated chicken is then flame-grilled, hand cut and served hot off the grill with warm tortillas and a wide assortment of side dishes.
Through the years, El Pollo Loco has demonstrated a strong commitment to menu innovation, introducing a wide variety of fresh flavorful entrées inspired by the kitchens of Mexico. Along with meals featuring citrus-marinated, flame-grilled chicken, El Pollo Loco favorites now also include made-to-order signature grilled burritos, The Original Pollo Bowl®, Salads, Tacos al Carbon, Taquitos, Chicken Tortilla Soup and more. And of course, there is the fresh salsa bar featuring House Salsa, alongside Avocado, Chipotle and Pico de Gallo salsas. All are made fresh daily.
Our Legacy
It began decades ago in the small town of Guasave on Mexico’s Pacific Coast. The year was 1975 when a roadside chicken stand named El Pollo Loco (pronounced "L-Po-yo Lo-co" and Spanish for "The Crazy Chicken") opened. Its signature menu item was (and remains) unique-- fresh, natural chicken marinated in a special recipe of herbs, spices and citrus juices passed down from the founding family. The marinated chicken was then flame-grilled to perfection, hand cut and served hot off the grill for the mouthwatering taste of El Pollo Loco that people couldn’t find anywhere else. El Pollo Loco quickly became a local favorite. |
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News of El Pollo Loco spread rapidly throughout Northern Mexico. By 1979, El Pollo Loco restaurants could be found in a variety of Northern Mexico cities. Shortly after, news of the delicious marinated chicken traveled across the border into the United States. In 1980, people lined up around the block as the first American El Pollo Loco opened on Alvarado Street in Los Angeles. The rest is history.
As people recognized its uniqueness-- fresh, wholesome, flavorful food cooked slowly over an open grill -- El Pollo Loco prospered. It quickly earned a reputation for using only the finest, freshest ingredients. In 1998, El Pollo Loco added self-serve salsa bars in its restaurants, providing guests the opportunity to personalize their menu selections with signature El Pollo Loco salsas prepared fresh every day: its famous House Salsa, Spicy Chipotle Salsa, Avocado Salsa and Pico de Gallo. |
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El Pollo Loco Today
Headquartered in Costa Mesa, California, El Pollo Loco, Inc. is a privately held company owned by Trimaran Capital Partners and company management.
While many things have changed in the last few decades, El Pollo Loco’s unyielding commitment to freshness, flavor and tradition has not. It seems as though serving fresh, wholesome, delicious food turned out not to be so crazy after all!
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