El Pollo Loco to Open 100 New Eateries

In its first expansion announcement under a new owner, El Pollo Loco unveiled plans to open 100 new restaurants over the next five years at a cost of about $130 million. The Irvine chain was sold in December by Advantica Restaurant Group to New York investment group American Securities Capital Partners. Most of the new stores will be located in Southern California, El Pollo’s core market, and in areas it considers its emerging markets--Northern California, Texas, Nevada and Arizona. About half the new stores will be franchised. The privately held chain currently has 120 company restaurants and 150 franchised outlets. El Pollo’s sales were $291 million for the fiscal year ended June 28, up 12.4%.