COSTA MESA, Calif., April 04, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. ("El Pollo Loco" and the "Company") (Nasdaq:LOCO) today announced that William R. "Bill" Floyd and Carol "Lili" Lynton have been appointed as independent members of its Board of Directors, effective April 1, 2016.

Michael Maselli, Chairman of El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc., stated, "We are thrilled to have the opportunity to add two talented individuals to our Board of Directors.  Both Bill and Lili bring strong leadership qualities as well as valuable operational and restaurant industry experience to the table.  I'm confident that Bill and Lili will make enormous contributions to our organization, and we look forward to working with them as we continue to grow and strengthen our brand."  

Mr. Floyd was Chief Operating Officer of Taco Bell and KFC, both of which at the time were part of PepsiCo's Restaurant Division, and the Chairman of the Board of Buffet Holdings, Inc., a billion dollar family dining restaurant concept.  More recently, Mr. Floyd was the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Physiotherapy Associates, the largest provider of outpatient rehab services in the U.S.  Prior to Physiotherapy, Mr. Floyd was Chairman, President and CEO of Beverly Enterprises, Inc., a leading provider of eldercare services in the U.S. with $2.2 Billion in revenue.  Prior to Beverly, Mr. Floyd was the CEO and President of Choice Hotels, International, the largest franchiser of hotels in the world. 

Mr. Floyd currently serves on the Board of Korn Ferry International, Muzinich Capital, Inc., and Pivot, a regional outpatient physical therapy company.

Ms. Lynton is an experienced executive with extensive restaurant industry and financial industry experience.  She is the Co-founder and Operating Partner of The Dinex Group, a specialty restaurant business launched in 1992 along with New York chef Daniel Boulud, which currently operates 17 Boulud-branded restaurants.  Ms. Lynton also co-founded Telebank, a private investment that acquired a traditional savings bank and reengineered it to become an internet banking pioneer.  Ms. Lynton currently serves as the Chief Investment Officer of HD American Trust, a family investment office formed in 1987, which invests actively across a broad range of asset classes.  Ms. Lynton previously served as an Analyst at both Sanford C. Bernstein and Lehman Brothers.         

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. Visit their website at ElPolloLoco.com.

Investor Contact:
Fitzhugh Taylor, ICR
(714) 599-5200
investors@elpolloloco.com

Media Contact:
Alecia Pulman, ICR
203-682-8200
LOCO@icrinc.com