El Pollo Loco is testing a chicken sandwich, CEO Liz Williams said at the ICR Conference in Orlando.
Wait. El Pollo Loco doesn’t offer a chicken sandwich?
No, actually. In the sea of chicken sandwiches across the industry, El Pollo Loco has been staying on the sidelines in the Chicken Sandwich Wars, at least in recent years. Now officials say it's one of the most requested items that guests are asking to see.
The fast-casual chain has offered chicken sandwiches in the past. In 2010, the chain launched a line of grilled chicken sandwiches, alongside the traditional burritos, tacos, salads and bone-in meal combos, for example. But they didn’t last.
Williams did not offer details about what’s in test, sandwich-wise, and whether it would be grilled or fried.
But she said the chain will be looking to drive innovation on the menu in 2025, which she said will be Year Two in the ongoing three-year turnaround plan.
Williams is nearing her first anniversary of joining the Costa Mesa, California-based chain as CEO. When she arrived, a turnaround plan was already in play.
Her first year was spent working on improving margins and finding ways to cut costs to spark growth for the 496-unit chicken chain.
Year Two will be all about the brand, she said, “making the brand more modern, relevant and youthful.” And part of that will be adding innovation to the menu to drive sales and get the flywheel of development moving.
That doesn’t mean El Pollo Loco’s food needs fixing, she noted.
The chain’s citrus-marinated grilled chicken is its key asset and, when she arrived, she was told “don't mess it up,” she said.
But last year the marketing calendar focused mostly on “re-hits” that fans had seen before. In 2025, five marketing windows are planned with new products, starting with a new flavor of the bone-in chicken: Mango Habanero.
“We have not brought new news to our delicious fire-grilled chicken in years,” she said. “So we all know how popular different flavor profiles are. That’ll be fun.”
Also coming are new Fresca Wraps with a citrus marinade dressing. And that test of a chicken sandwich, which Williams said will be “interesting.”
Bone-in chicken specialists have been adding chicken sandwiches for years. The move put a rocket under Wingstop’s sales, for example, driving in a new customer and new occasions.
Williams said El Pollo Loco is also looking to add products priced in the $7 to $9 range, which has become somewhat of a value sweet spot for the brand, in addition to the $5 Pollo Bowls and two-for-$5 Taco Tuesday deals launched last year.
“I think you have to play value so many different ways,” she said. “You can’t be a one-trick pony.”
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