El Pollo Loco Donates $1,000 to Support Houston Food Bank
Restaurant Hosted Grand Opening Celebrations and Ribbon Cutting

COSTA MESA, Calif., Dec. 17, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- El Pollo Loco, the nation's leading fire-grilled chicken restaurant chain, celebrated the grand opening of its newest location at Copperfield in Houston, TX, on Wednesday, December 17. The new restaurant, located at 8473 Hwy 6 N., hosted a ribbon cutting ceremony which included featured remarks from Leslie Martone, Cy-Fair Houston Chamber of Commerce President and El Pollo Loco Vice President of Marketing, Mark Hardison.

A photo accompanying this release is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=29719

El Pollo Loco has also teamed up with the Houston Food Bank to support families in need in the greater-Houston area. The company presented a $1,000 check to Jennifer Reeves from the Houston Food Bank on Wednesday Morning. The monetary donation translates to providing 3,000 nutritious meals to children in need in Southeast Texas.

"In the short time El Pollo Loco has been in the Houston area, they have shown strong dedication to the community by partnering with the Houston Food Bank with their generous donation that helps provide meals to our neighbors in need during this holiday season," said Jennifer Reeves, Strategic Gifts Officer, at the ribbon cutting ceremony this morning. "We are thrilled to have this caring organization join our community with their newest Copperfield location and look forward to seeing them expand in our area."

The new Copperfield location is the second location in the greater Houston area and 11th in the state of Texas. El Pollo Loco has more than 400 restaurant locations in Arizona, California, Nevada, Utah and Texas and delivers its renowned citrus-marinated fire-grilled chicken and handcrafted entrees that use only the freshest ingredients to create authentic Mexican inspired recipes.

"We are thrilled that the local community and government officials as well as the Houston Food Bank came out to celebrate our new Copperfield location," said Mark Hardison, Vice President of Marketing at El Pollo Loco. "We are extremely excited to continue our Houston-area expansion with the opening of our new location in Copperfield and look forward to sharing our signature citrus-marinated, fire-grilled chicken with area residents and visitors."

The 2950 square-foot Copperfield El Pollo Loco has seating for 70 guests inside the dining room and incorporates the brand's hacienda design which features an open kitchen layout designed for customers to watch the signature chicken as it is grilled. The restaurant is open seven days a week from 10:00AM - 11:00 PM, with dine-in service concluding one hour prior to closing.

It's time to get crazy and join the El Pollo Loco eClub. Local fans are also encouraged to join the My Loco Rewards program for exclusive news, rewards and previews delivered to their inbox. My Loco Rewards also allows members to voice their opinion and learn from other passionate Grill Masters. For more information on El Pollo Loco, please visit www.ElPolloLoco.com or check us out on Facebook and Twitter.

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 and fire-grilled chicken and handcrafted entrees using fresh ingredients inspired by authentic Mexican recipes. With more than 400 company-owned and franchised restaurants in Arizona, California, Nevada, Texas and Utah, El Pollo Loco will expand its presence in key markets through a combination of company and existing and new franchisee development. Some say the lengths we go to create fresh, delicious food are crazy. We say it's Crazy You Can Taste. Visit us on our website at ElPolloLoco.com.

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