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tesg's guide to big chain road food consumption
CHAIN -- El
Pollo Loco Here's a novel idea…How about a Mexican fast food chain with actual Mexican roots? El Pollo Loco (pronounced "L-Po-yo Lo-co"; Spanish for "The Crazy Chicken" according to their website) started as a roadside stand in Guasave in 1975. Founder Juan Francisco "Pancho" Ochoa marinated chicken in a family recipe of herbs, spices and citrus juices, then grilled it over a flame-broiler. It was an instant success and the store grew to a chain across northern Mexico. The first US location opened in 1980. Denny's acquired the US operations in 1983. An investment firm bought the US operations from Denny's parent in 1999, and an asset management firm picked them up in 2005 with plans for an IPO in 2006 (which were abandoned due to "market conditions"). Franchisees have been signed in most western states, and a location recently opened in the Chicago area. Ochoa and family hold the El Pollo Loco brand rights in Mexico and also operate a chain called Taco Palenque, which has locations in Texas. The chicken is marinated and grilled over a flame broiler. It's fall-off-the-bone tender, particularly the thigh. The flavor is citrusy but doesn't overwhelm the chicken flavor. You might even find it underwhelming. That's actually true about everything I've tried on the menu. The marketing is towards "healthy" food, which is the right way to go here. The menu indeed comes of as being on the healthy side of fast food. The format is just like KFC, Church's, or Popeye's. Order a two or three-piece meal with two sides and a drink. Even the side options look similar, with pinto beans and Spanish rice added for the Mexican bend. There's a salsa bar with their original salsa, their pico, their spicy chipotle, and guac. The salsas are made fresh daily. Steamed tortillas…your choice of corn or flour…are served with your chicken. What do you do with the tortillas? You can eat them plain, dip them in salsa, wrap chicken in them, wrap one of your sides in them, trade them for something you like better with other patrons, press them against your face for warming comfort, blow your nose in them, glue them to the side of your car as a decoration, or take them home and play Frisbee with your dog. That won't last long though because the dog will probably eat them. Dogs will eat pretty much anything, you know. There's other stuff to order instead of chicken pieces, including chicken quesadillas, salads, burritos, and chicken tortilla soup. A sort of odd chicken tortilla soup by my taste. More like an Italian wedding chicken tortilla soup. With no noodles. El Pollo Loco is definitely for people who want chicken to taste like chicken and tomatoes to taste like tomato. If you like things to be what they are with not a lot of seasoning, this will be one of your favorite places. Click here to return to tesg's guide to big chain road food consumption |
