California fast-food chain to open first of 15 Utah stores in Lehi

Enterprise, The, Jan 28, 2008

El Pollo Loco, a Costa Mesa, Calif.-based fun that bills itself as the nation's leader in citrus-marinated, flame-grilled chicken, will break ground Jan. 31 on the first of 15 locations it plans to bring to Utah through a multi-unit development agreement with WKS Restaurant Corp., owned by veteran El Pollo Loco franchisee Roland Spongberg.

The fast Utah El Pollo Loco, scheduled to open in May, will be built at 88 N. State St. in Lehi, across from the Meadows Shopping Center in front of Lowe's and Costco.

"We have two additional locations identified in Utah," said El Pollo Loco spokeswoman Shanna Waters. "One is on 725 W. Telegraph in Washington, scheduled to open in mid-June, and another location in St. George, scheduled to open in October."

El Pollo Loco (Spanish for "the crazy chicken,) currently maintains 389 locations - 230 of them franchised - in California. with additional restaurants in Arizona, Nevada, Texas, Colorado, Illinois, Georgia, Connecticut and Massachusetts. The company has a pipeline of franchise restaurant commitments in Georgia, Missouri, Illinois, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, New England, New York, New Jersey, Florida, Oregon, Washington, Arizona and northern California

The firm specializes in fresh, natural chicken marinated in herbs, spices and citrus juices that is flame-grilled and served with a choice of sides, warm tortillas and freshly prepared salsas. Also on the menu at the restaurants, which average 2,700 square feet, is a variety of fresh Mexican entrees, including the Original Polio Bowl, Polio Salads, tacos, grilled burritos, quesadillas and Chicken Tortilla Soup, and more.

The firm was founded in Guasave, Mexico in 1975 and opened its first U.S. eatery in 1980.