El Pollo Loco, Inc. Names Dennis Farrow Chief Operating Officer

Esteemed restaurant executive to champion operational excellence across the flame-grilled chicken leader’s 400 restaurants

COSTA MESA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--El Pollo Loco, Inc. announced today the appointment of restaurant industry veteran Dennis Farrow to the position of chief operating officer. In this role, Farrow oversees operations for the company’s 400 restaurants (a combination of company-owned and franchise locations) and will activate operational strategies to drive the company’s momentum.

“He has a proven record of building organizational capability and will be a key driver in fueling El Pollo Loco’s momentum as we activate strategies consistent with our long-term business plan.”

Farrow is a dynamic, results-oriented leader with more than 20 years of restaurant industry expertise and an impressive record of optimizing restaurant performance. Prior to joining El Pollo Loco, he was chief executive officer of Restaurant Peak Performance, LLC, a retail and restaurant consulting firm he founded in 2008. Earlier, Farrow was chief operating officer of IHOP Corp., senior vice president of operations for Wendy’s International, Inc., and senior director of operations services for Taco Bell Corp.

“Dennis is an operations power house and we are thrilled to have him on our team,” said Steve Sather, president and CEO of El Pollo Loco, Inc. “He has a proven record of building organizational capability and will be a key driver in fueling El Pollo Loco’s momentum as we activate strategies consistent with our long-term business plan.”

El Pollo Loco plans to grow the company through a new platform of integrated marketing and crave-able new menu items that complement the chain’s signature flame-grilled chicken, a continued focus on operational excellence and a system-wide restaurant redesign and remodel program.

Farrow is based at El Pollo Loco’s headquarters in Costa Mesa, California. He holds a Bachelors degree in international affairs from the United States Military Academy, West Point in New York and a Masters degree in management administration from the J.L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University in Illinois.

About El Pollo Loco

Headquartered in Costa Mesa, California, El Pollo Loco, Inc. currently operates 400 restaurants located primarily in California, with additional restaurants in Arizona, Connecticut, Georgia, Illinois, Nevada, Oregon, Texas and Utah. El Pollo Loco’s menu features its signature citrus-marinated, flame-grilled chicken in individual and family-sized meals served with warm tortillas, freshly prepared salsas and an assortment of sides. El Pollo Loco also serves a variety of Mexican-inspired entrees featuring the chain’s citrus-marinated, flame-grilled chicken, including Pollo Bowl^® entrees, pollo salads, grilled burritos, tacos and more. For more information, visit www.elpolloloco.com.

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