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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

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

2/25/2008 EL POLLO LOCO FEEDS DUAL COMMUNICATION STRATEGY WITH TWO BRAND NEW ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS New television commercials for the flame-grilled chicken leader focus on what sets it apart from competitors, including fresh preparation and flame-grilling expertise

COSTA MESA, Calif. (February 25, 2008) - El Pollo Loco, Inc. announced today the debut of not one, but two new advertising campaigns-- one from its general market advertising agency, Krueger Communications, and another from its Hispanic agency, cruz/kravetz:IDEAS. Both agencies are based in the Los Angeles area.

The new campaigns continue El Pollo Loco’s pioneering approach of customizing messages to further embrace its unique relationship with different groups. El Pollo Loco’s Chief Marketing Officer, Karen Eadon, explains the istinction. “For general audiences, El Pollo Loco began as an exciting discovery back in 1980-- a flavorful find that has become increasingly popular through the years. Our communication with this group therefore focuses on what differentiates El Pollo Loco from other restaurant concepts, including the expertise our cooks demonstrate each and every day as they flame-grill fresh chicken in front of our guests.”

El Pollo Loco’s communication with Spanish-speaking audiences takes on a different approach given the brand’s authentic Mexican roots and familiarity that many Spanish speakers have with “pollo a la parrilla” or marinated, flame-grilled chicken. “Our creative direction with Spanish-speaking audiences taps into their love of fresh chicken grilled over an open flame and focuses on the passion that El Pollo Loco cooks exude while preparing our citrus-marinated, flame-grilled chicken for their guests,” said Eadon.

El Pollo Loco’s dual communication strategy comes to life in new television commercials that begin airing today in select west coast markets.
New General Audience TV Commercials Reveal the Comic Side of Fast Food Industry’s Claims in a New Campaign Coined “May I Fool You?”

The increasing trend of the fast food industry to tout the health and quality of some fast food provides the comedic backdrop for El Pollo Loco’s new general market television spots. The new campaign, titled “May I Fool You?,” depicts fictitious fast food chains making wild and zany assertions of health and quality, which are then compared with El Pollo Loco’s authentic method of grilling fresh, natural, citrus-marinated chicken over an open flame right in front of guests. No particular competitors are depicted nor intended to be depicted in the spots.

Four new general audience television commercials will debut in 2008. Each spot begins with a cashier from a generic fast food chain greeting the customer with “May I fool you?” The cashier then presents an offer he believes the customer will blindly follow. This is contrasted with a very different experience at El Pollo Loco, where guests see fresh chicken grilling on an open flame. The new commercials will continue El Pollo Loco’s “Taste the Fire” tagline in :30 and :15 spots that will air in Los Angeles, San Diego, Bakersfield, Palm Springs, Fresno, Yuma, El Centro, Sacramento, Las Vegas, Reno and Phoenix.

The first spots begin airing February 25th and introduce viewers to El Pollo Loco’s new family meal offers and Queso Crunch Burrito. Additional spots will appear throughout the year in select markets in the west.
New Spanish Language Campaign Highlights the Passion Cooks Pass on to Guests through Food Prepared with Pride

“Passing the Passion” is El Pollo Loco’s new Spanish language advertising campaign. It pays tribute to a powerful force that sets El Pollo Loco apart from its competition: passionate cooks who transform fresh ingredients into works of art they pass on to guests in the form of mouthwatering citrus-marinated, flame-grilled chicken, freshly prepared salsas and other El Pollo Loco favorites.

In a departure from earlier campaigns, which focused on the reaction consumers have to the delicious taste of El Pollo Loco, the new communication strategy highlights the pre-eminence of El Pollo Loco’s menu offerings, reinforced by chicken that is fresh and natural, not frozen; salsas that are prepared fresh every day; and the authentic preparation of chicken that is first marinated in a blend of fruit juices and spices and then grilled to perfection over an open flame by cooks passionate about pleasing their guests.

Four new Spanish language television commercials, a mix of :30 and :15 spots, will be featured during 2008. Each will profile a cook, with a unique personality and quirky nuances. Music from a different genre will be featured in each commercial, selected to compliment the featured cook’s personality and convey how he passes his passion for culinary excellence on to guests. The “perfectionist” cook performs to corridor/norteña; the “romantic” to bolero (romantic ballad); the “fire master” to techno pop; and the “artist” performs to salsa. While each cook exhibits his own unique personality quirks, all are driven to the same result: magnificently prepared flame-grilled chicken. Each spot closes with a close up on a guest enthusiastically enjoying the outcome of the cook’s expertise.

“Our new Spanish language communication strategy embodies the heart and soul of El Pollo Loco,” explains Maite D’Amico, president and chief creative officer for cruz/kravetz:IDEAS, the agency that created the campaign. “It showcases a core strength no other concept has-- El Pollo Loco’s flame-grilling expertise, performed by culinary professionals who infuse their passion into every piece of chicken they grill.”

The 2008 Hispanic campaign will encompass four different Spanish language television commercials. The spots are :30 and :15 in length and begin airing February 26th on Spanish stations in Los Angeles, Bakersfield, El Centro, Yuma, Fresno, Las Vegas, Reno, Sacramento, Salinas, San Diego, and San Francisco/San Jose. Additionally, :60 radio spots carrying the same theme will begin February 25th in Palm Springs and Santa Barbara.

El Pollo Loco, Inc., a privately held company headquartered in Costa Mesa, California, offers a wide variety of fresh Mexican entrees (grilled chicken burritos, the Original Pollo Bowl, pollo salads, tacos, quesadillas, Chicken Tortilla Soup, and more) in addition to individual and family meals of its famous chicken served with a wide variety of sides, warm tortillas and fresh salsas. The company currently operates 392 restaurants in nine states: California, Arizona, Nevada, Texas, Colorado, Georgia, Illinois, Massachusetts and Connecticut. For more information, visit the company’s website at www.elpolloloco.com.

Krueger Communications is a six-year-old advertising agency based in the Los Angeles area. Staffed with senior-only personnel, the agency is dedicated to providing equally powerful strategy and creative designed to create maximum impact on its clients’ businesses. For more information, visit the company’s website at www.kruegerads.com.

Los Angeles-based cruz/kravetz:IDEAS is a marketing consultancy and full-service advertising agency specializing in the US Hispanic market. The agency has served as El Pollo Loco’s Hispanic advertising agency since 1998.
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