Company Continues Commitment to Create Murals in Hometown, Additional Installations in 2020

COSTA MESA, Calif., Dec. 16, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- El Pollo Loco, Inc. (“El Pollo Loco” or “Company”) (Nasdaq: LOCO), the nation's leading fire-grilled chicken restaurant chain, remains dedicated to celebrating the Hispanic heritage of the company, its employees and customers by commissioning unique murals on its restaurants in its hometown, Los Angeles, to continue to see mural installation and restoration thrive.

Around 60 percent of murals in Los Angeles have vanished¹, with a significant number of these works created by Latino artists. The loss of murals also means a loss of culture and a severed connection to a communal heritage. El Pollo Loco is thrilled to continue to use its restaurants as the canvases to connect a new generation with the Latino experience to the heart of Los Angeles. 

Today, the company announces the completion of a beautiful new mural at its first restaurant on Alvarado Street in MacArthur Park that opened almost 40 years ago. The mural follows El Pollo Loco’s recent tribute to its Hispanic heritage and Los Angeles roots, where the brand virtually revived a series of lost murals with augmented reality filters during Hispanic Heritage Month.

Since early in the restaurant’s history, El Pollo Loco has strengthened ties to its local communities by supporting murals. This new mural is dedicated to the Los Angeles community by local Latino artist Juan Hector Ponce. Mr. Ponce was inspired to showcase the importance of sharing and spreading the Hispanic culture throughout Los Angeles with a powerful visual depicting a woman sharing her culture through dance.

“Over 81% of our workforce at El Pollo Loco is Hispanic, which is why we’re passionate about celebrating and preserving our Mexican-American roots in the diverse communities we serve. We are excited to continue this connection through original artwork on our restaurants,” said Bernard Acoca, President and Chief Executive Officer at El Pollo Loco. “We also look forward to unveiling our next mural in early 2020, with more to come.”

For additional information, please visit www.elpolloloco.com.

Footnote:
¹“Metro Admits To Painting Over Historic LA Mural”, LAist, April 23, 2019.

About El Pollo Loco
El Pollo Loco (Nasdaq:LOCO) is the nation’s leading fire-grilled chicken restaurant with a mission to bring people together around food, family and culture in the communities it serves. El Pollo Loco is renowned for its handcrafted L.A. Mex food, an innovative blend of traditional Mexican cuisine and better-for-you eating, that Los Angeles is known for. Since 1980, El Pollo Loco has successfully opened and maintained more than 480 company-owned and franchised restaurants in Arizona, California, Nevada, Texas, Utah, and Louisiana while remaining true to its Mexican-American heritage. El Pollo Loco continues to grow and evolve, nourishing connections to tradition, culture and one another through fire-grilled goodness that makes us feel like familia. For more information, visit us at www.elpolloloco.com.

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MEDIA CONTACT:
Hannah Gray
Edible
323-202-1477
hannah.gray@edible-inc.com

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/c7ab1cff-0a16-490b-848e-e6928beb22a4