COSTA MESA, Calif., Dec. 10, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- El Pollo Loco (Nasdaq:LOCO), the nation's leading fire-grilled chicken chain, today opened its newest location in Wildomar, CA. The new restaurant, located at 32360 Clinton Keith Road, is owned and operated by franchisee WKS Restaurant Corporation led by its CEO, Roland Spongberg, and is the first location to open in the city of Wildomar.

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"We are pleased to continue our strong partnership with WKS Restaurant Corporation and bring El Pollo Loco's famous citrus marinated, fire-grilled chicken to the Wildomar community," said Steve Sather, Chief Executive Officer at El Pollo Loco. "Franchise expansion is an essential part of our growth strategy, and this new restaurant marks the 63^rd location owned and operated by WKS, our largest franchisee. We are proud to work with strong franchise partners like WKS and are continuously looking to open new restaurants with existing and new franchisees."

El Pollo Loco and WKS encourage the local community to help celebrate the Wildomar location opening by visiting the new restaurant today, where there will be a DJ and prize wheel set up from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. for the whole family to enjoy!

"It is very exciting to open another El Pollo Loco restaurant and bring approximately 40 new jobs to the Wildomar community," said Rosa Fuentes, Vice President of Operations at WKS. "We look forward to bringing our famous chicken meals and handcrafted entrees to the growing city of Wildomar and hope the community comes to join us for the fun events we have planned today in celebration of our opening."

The 2,960 square-foot restaurant incorporates the brand's hacienda design which features an open kitchen layout designed for customers to view the signature chicken as it is being fire-grilled. The restaurant is open seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 10 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 420 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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