El Pollo Loco
Encyclopedia
El Pollo Loco is a fast-food restaurant chain specializing in Mexican
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...

 grilled chicken
Chicken
The chicken is a domesticated fowl, a subspecies of the Red Junglefowl. As one of the most common and widespread domestic animals, and with a population of more than 24 billion in 2003, there are more chickens in the world than any other species of bird...

, headquartered in Costa Mesa, California
Costa Mesa, California
Costa Mesa is a city in Orange County, California. The population was 109,960 at the 2010 census. Since its incorporation in 1953, the city has grown from a semi-rural farming community of 16,840 to a primarily suburban and "edge" city with an economy based on retail, commerce, and light...

. "El Pollo Loco" is Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...

 for "The Crazy Chicken".

Their main dish is pollo asado, a grilled marinated chicken. Over time, the chain has expanded into burritos and salads, and serves items that compete with Taco Bell
Taco Bell
Taco Bell is an American chain of fast-food restaurants based in Irvine, California. A subsidiary of Yum! Brands, Inc., which serves American-adapted Mexican food. Taco Bell serves tacos, burritos, quesadillas, nachos, other specialty items, and a variety of "Value Menu" items...

, Del Taco
Del Taco
Del Taco is a North American fast food restaurant chain which specializes in American-style Mexican cuisine as well as American foods such as burgers, fries, and shakes...

 and other Mexican-style restaurants.
Juan Francisco Ochoa started the restaurant in Guasave, Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...

, in 1975. By 1979, the chain had expanded over northern Mexico. In 1980, the first U.S. restaurant opened in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...

, California, on Alvarado Street
Alvarado Street
Alvarado Street is a north-south thoroughfare in the Greater Los Angeles Area.-Geography:North of Glendale Boulevard, it starts off as a residential street. It becomes a major thoroughfare south of Glendale Boulevard. Directly south of Pico Boulevard and north of Venice Boulevard, Alvarado Street...

 near Sixth Street. In 1983, the American restaurants in the chain were acquired by Denny's
Denny's
Denny's is a full-service coffee shop/family restaurant chain. It operates over 1,500 restaurants in the United States , Canada, Curaçao, Costa Rica, Honduras, Jamaica, Japan , Mexico, New Zealand, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates.Denny's is known for always being...

, with an agreement where the Ochoa family could operate the restaurants in Mexico. American Securities Capital Partners
American Securities Capital Partners
American Securities LLC is a private equity investment firm focusing on leveraged buyout transactions. AS focuses primarily on investments in the United States and Canada....

 acquired the restaurant in 1999, and sold it to current owner Trimaran Capital Partners
Trimaran Capital Partners
Trimaran Capital Partners is a middle-market private equity firm formerly affiliated with CIBC World Markets. Trimaran is headquartered in New York City and founded by former investment bankers from Drexel Burnham Lambert. Trimaran’s predecessors were early investors in telecom and Internet...

in 2005.

In the United States, the El Pollo Loco chain primarily operates in the Southwest and California, with an expanding scattering of locations elsewhere. Restaurants are currently located in California, Colorado, Nevada, Arizona, Oregon, Utah, Texas, Illinois, and Connecticut.

External links

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