El Pollo Loco is making a second bid to break into New York, almost 10 years after an earlier expansion effort ended before the chain opened even one restaurant.
The California-based chicken brand has secured a lease for its first New York location in Queens. The restaurant is scheduled to open by mid-2027.
Beyond that first site, El Pollo Loco has signed three development agreements that could bring 15 restaurants to the New York region over the next five years. The plan represents the company’s most ambitious attempt yet to move beyond its longtime Southwestern base.
The chain specializes in citrus-marinated chicken grilled over an open flame. Its menu also includes burritos, bowls, salads, quesadillas and other Mexican-inspired fare.
El Pollo Loco operates more than 500 restaurants, most of them in California and other Western and Southwestern states. In recent years, however, the company has stepped up its pace of expansion.
CEO Liz Williams, who assumed the role in March 2024, has grown El Pollo Loco’s footprint from six states to 10. The East Coast push is part of her broader strategy to establish the company as a national restaurant brand.
‘New York represents an important milestone for El Pollo Loco and a clear proof point in our disciplined growth strategy,’ Williams said in a press release.
‘With committed franchise partners and our first New York lease secured, we are excited to introduce the East Coast to the fire-grilled flavor and hospitality that have defined El Pollo Loco for five decades,’ she added.
El Pollo Loco is renewing its effort to enter the New York market after an expansion plan nearly a decade ago failed to produce a single restaurant
The company’s first New York restaurant is planned for Queens and is expected to open by mid-2027
CEO Liz Williams described the West Coast chain’s New York expansion as evidence that its broader growth strategy is working
The New York move carries added weight because El Pollo Loco has attempted the expansion once before—and did not succeed.
In 2014, the company signed a development agreement for 15 restaurants in the New York-Newark, New Jersey, market. None of the proposed locations ultimately opened.
Company executives say conditions are different this time and that El Pollo Loco is better equipped to support a larger expansion.
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The chain has recorded positive same-store sales for three straight quarters, while restaurant-level margins have improved during a wider turnaround effort.
El Pollo Loco is also counting on growing interest in meals built around protein, with grilled chicken at the center of its offering.
Chicken is marinated and fire-grilled at each restaurant, and customers can watch the preparation through the chain’s open-kitchen design.
‘We have strengthened our brand and operations, enhanced our business model, and assembled an experienced leadership team to support sustainable expansion,’ Williams said.
To help deliver that growth, El Pollo Loco has added executives including Chief Operating Officer Damon Thomas, a former senior operations leader at Shake Shack and Raising Cane’s.
El Pollo Loco’s 2014 agreement called for 15 restaurants across the New York-Newark, New Jersey, market, but no locations opened, according to Restaurant News
The chain is also betting that its focus on grilled chicken will appeal to consumers looking for protein-heavy meals
Tara Hinkle, who joined as chief development officer in July, previously served as president and head of the Americas for The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf and held franchise strategy roles at Taco Bell and Starbucks.
‘Entering New York is a meaningful step in building a thoughtful, scalable development pipeline for El Pollo Loco,’ Hinkle said in the release.
The company has been expanding even as competition among chicken chains intensifies, with brands such as Raising Cane’s, Chick-fil-A, Dave’s Hot Chicken and Wingstop continuing to add locations around the country.
El Pollo Loco opened its 500th US restaurant earlier this year and entered its 10th state with its first Idaho location.
Now it is betting that New York can provide a springboard for an even bigger national footprint.
For New Yorkers, that means another West Coast fast-food chain is preparing to enter an already crowded market – this time with hopes of making the expansion stick.
