El Pollo Loco Announces the Grand Opening of New Helotes Restaurant

COSTA MESA, Calif., Aug. 30, 2016 -- El Pollo Loco (Nasdaq:LOCO), the nation's leading fire-grilled chicken chain, opened its newest location in Helotes, TX today. The new restaurant, owned and operated by franchisee partner AA Pollo, Inc. is located at 11820 Bandera Road. The Helotes El Pollo Loco marks the seventh location to open in the San Antonio area and 26th to open in the state of Texas.

“We are excited to open this new restaurant and bring El Pollo Loco’s famous citrus-marinated, fire-grilled chicken and handcrafted Mexican inspired entrees to the Helotes community,” said Atour Eyvazian, Vice President of AA Pollo, Inc. “Being able to partner with such a tremendous brand like El Pollo Loco and contribute to their growth and expansion in the Southwest is a rewarding experience for our entire group. We look forward to welcoming area residents and visitors into the restaurant and continuing to deliver on our plan to open additional El Pollo Loco restaurants in the region.”   

In addition to the Helotes restaurant, AA Pollo has also recently opened a restaurant in Kingwood, TX and has plans for a third restaurant in the area later in 2016. AA Pollo signed franchise development agreements in August 2014 to develop 20 new restaurants in Houston and San Antonio as the first step in a multi-year franchising initiative designed to expand the nation's leading fire-grilled chicken chain's presence in the greater Southwest.

“We are thrilled to continue to expand in the greater San Antonio market with the help of our trusted franchise partner, AA Pollo,” said Steve Sather, Chief Executive Officer at El Pollo Loco. “Atour and his team have been instrumental to our development in the Southwest and have proved to be an invaluable asset in our franchise growth. Texas is an important area for us as we continue to penetrate the state and bring El Pollo Loco’s signature chicken and entrees to new communities.”

The 2,909 square foot restaurant has seating for 84 guests and incorporates the brand’s hacienda design, which features an open kitchen layout designed for customers to view El Pollo Loco’s signature chicken as it’s being fire-grilled. The restaurant is open seven days a week from 10:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m.

El Pollo Loco is currently seeking highly qualified, multi-unit operators in Northern California, Arizona, Colorado, Nevada and Texas.  For more information visit https://elpolloloco.com/franchising/.

About El Pollo Loco

El Pollo Loco (Nasdaq:LOCO) is the nation's leading fire-grilled chicken restaurant chain renowned for its masterfully citrus-marinated, fire-grilled chicken and handcrafted entrees using fresh ingredients inspired by Mexican recipes. With more than 435 company-owned and franchised restaurants in Arizona, California, Nevada, Texas and Utah, El Pollo Loco is expanding its presence in key markets like Houston and Dallas through a combination of company and existing and new franchisee development. Visit us on our website at ElPolloLoco.com.

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