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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contacts: Julie Weeks
714-599-5150
El Pollo Loco
jweeks@elpolloloco.com

12/26/2007 El Pollo Loco Franchisee Roland Spongberg and WKS Restaurant Corporation Celebrate Milestones

CONTACTS: Julie Weeks, El Pollo Loco, Inc., 714-599-5150, jweeks@elpolloloco.com
Shanna Waters, Fishman Public Relations, 847-945-1300,
swaters@fishmanpr.com


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Twenty Years, 50 Restaurants: El Pollo Loco’s Largest Franchisee Continues to `Light the Flame’
Roland Spongberg and WKS Restaurant Corporation Celebrate Milestones
with Corporate Recognition, Industry Award


Lakewood, CA – December 26, 2007- It is a landmark time for WKS Restaurant Corporation and Roland Spongberg, the company’s president and CEO, as they celebrate 20 years with El Pollo Loco and open their 50th and 51st restaurants in San Bernadino, CA and Stanton, CA.

Among the milestone events, Spongberg was recently honored as El Pollo Loco’s Franchisee of the Year by the International Franchise Association (IFA) for outstanding performance and contributions to the growth and development of El Pollo Loco, the nation’s leader in flame-grilled chicken.

Since 1987, WKS Restaurant Corporation and Spongberg have grown from single unit operators of an El Pollo Loco restaurant in Long Beach to the largest franchisee in the 389-unit system. It is no surprise that WKS has excelled within the El Pollo Loco organization. Over the past 20 years, they have established a track record of operating exceptional restaurants and introduced several key strategies to foster employee recognition and satisfaction. Further, Spongberg and WKS have embraced the company’s national expansion with agreements to expand El Pollo Loco in Arizona and Utah.

“We are honored to have a seasoned and dedicated restaurant developer like Roland Spongberg and his team at WKS Restaurant Corporation as key members of our El Pollo Loco family,” said Steve Carley, CEO of El Pollo Loco. “Roland is a consummate professional who inspires his team at WKS to achieve greatness. We look forward to the important role they will play in fueling El Pollo Loco’s expansion.”

In addition to opening new restaurants, the WKS organization has a reputation for turning restaurants acquired from other franchisees into more profitable locations. WKS trains personnel and reinforces El Pollo Loco’s high standards, as well as initiating programs of its own to assist employees in continuing education and career advancement. For example, the company offers a management training program for crew members interested in pursuing a restaurant career. In 2007 alone, 114 members of the WKS team completed the program. The company also sends Assistant Managers and General Managers to quarterly workshops to learn innovative techniques to achieve continued results. Today, WKS employs more than 1,500 people.
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“Our employees are our most important asset; I work very hard to make sure we treat our employees and customers well,” Spongberg said. “WKS carefully seeks out the best and brightest people in our industry. We promote a culture of developing our employees from within the WKS family, and our employees and managers are our best recruiters. They are passionate about the company and attract good people to come and work with us. The average employee works for WKS for at least seven years.”

Another example of the WKS commitment to its employees is an innovative rewards and recognition program. Every six months, the company gathers employees together to acknowledge each “Employee of the Month” from the prior six months. WKS also hosts an annual holiday party dinner and gift drawing with prizes such as televisions, bicycles, stereos, and other electronic gadgets.

Spongberg and WKS Restaurant Corporation have also achieved remarkable success with a program launched in 2003 to decrease workers’ compensation insurance rates. For every month a restaurant is accident-free, each employee in the restaurant receives one entry for a drawing. At the annual holiday party, all entries are placed in a hopper and the winning entry receives a brand new car.

“I am thankful for the years of support that El Pollo Loco has provided my organization, and for the dedication of my talented staff. They are true professionals who are among the best in the industry;” Spongberg said. “Our restaurants have become an integral part of the communities we serve and I look forward to driving the growth of this vibrant brand for years to come.”

Spongberg was recently honored by the IFA as a Franchisee of the Year. The award is given to IFA-member company franchisees to honor them for their outstanding performance and contributions to the growth and development of the nation’s franchising industry. The IFA Franchisee of the Year Awards were presented last month during IFA’s Eighth Annual Franchise Appreciation Day celebration in Washington D.C.
About El Pollo Loco El Pollo Loco currently operates 389 restaurants (230 franchised locations and 159 company-owned restaurants), located principally in California, with additional restaurants in Arizona, Nevada, Texas, Colorado, Illinois, Georgia, Connecticut and Massachusetts. Headquartered in Costa Mesa, California, El Pollo Loco, Inc. is a privately held company owned by Trimaran Capital Partners and company management. For more information about El Pollo Loco, visit the company’s website at www.elpolloloco.com.

Safe Harbor Statement
This news release contains forward-looking statements, which are statements that do not relate solely to historical fact. They include, but are not limited to, any statement that may predict, forecast, indicate or imply future results, performance, achievements or events. They may contain words such as “believe,” “anticipate,” “expect,” “estimate,” “intend,” “project,” “plan,” “will,” “should,” “may,” “could” or words or

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phrases of similar meaning. The statements reflect management's current expectations regarding future events. Risk factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, concerns about food-borne illnesses; increases in the cost of chicken; an adverse ruling from the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals in litigation involving El Pollo Loco S.A. de C.V. (El Pollo Loco- Mexico) which could result in the imposition of significant monetary damages and loss of rights to the trademarks in Mexico; our dependence upon frequent deliveries of food and other supplies; our sensitivity to events and conditions in the greater Los Angeles area; our reliance in part on our franchisees; our vulnerability to changes in consumer preferences and economic conditions; our ability to compete successfully with other quick service and fast casual restaurants; and other risk factors listed from time to time in the Company's reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as the result of new information, future events or otherwise.

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