COSTA MESA, Calif., Feb. 22, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- El Pollo Loco (Nasdaq:LOCO), the nation's leading fire-grilled chicken chain, opened its newest location in Brownsville, TX on Saturday, February 20. The new restaurant, owned and operated by local franchisees Mark Wright, John Wright, Wayne Pearson and partner, is located at 85 East Alton Gloor Blvd and is the 21^st El Pollo Loco to open in the state of Texas. To celebrate the opening, the first 100 guests in line received a voucher for a free 2-piece chicken combo that can be redeemed once a month for a year.

"After almost 15 years with El Pollo Loco, it continues to be as exciting as ever to open the doors of a new restaurant and invite the community to dine with us for the first time," said Mark Wright. "I'm so passionate about the brand and am thrilled to open this new restaurant in Brownsville and offer a convenient location for our guests to enjoy our fresh, authentically prepared entrees and signature fire-grilled chicken."

"With franchise development being such a vital part of our Company's strategic growth plan, we put immense value on our relationships with our franchisees like Mark, John and Wayne," said Steve Sather, Chief Executive Officer at El Pollo Loco. "We are excited to see the doors open on their fifth El Pollo Loco restaurant and encourage the Brownsville community to visit the new location and enjoy El Pollo Loco's delicious menu items."

The 3,425 square foot restaurant has seating for 98 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 a.m. to 11 p.m.

The Brownsville restaurant will be hosting a grand opening event and ribbon cutting ceremony open to the public on March 11 at 4:30pm. 

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 430 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. 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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Media Contact:

Kellie Duffy
ICR Inc.
203-682-8200
LOCO@icrinc.com