BBQ enthusiasts can once again enjoy real barbecue at a quick-serve restaurant with El Pollo Loco’s limited time Barbecue Chicken and new BBQ Chicken Slider!



COSTA MESA, Calif. (May 30, 2009) – Calling all BBQ lovers! Just in time for summer, El Pollo Loco announced today the return of its popular Barbecue Chicken and greets the grilling season with the debut of a new BBQ Chicken Slider.

For years, the nation’s flame-grilled chicken leader has delighted fans with distinctive variations of its signature citrus-marinated, flame-grilled chicken. Past favorites include Tequila Lime, Chile Orange, Chile Lime, and Lemon Pepper. The most popular is Barbecue, back in restaurants through July 26, joined by a new taste sensation-- the BBQ Chicken Slider.

El Pollo Loco’s Barbecue Chicken starts with fresh, natural chicken flame-grilled to perfection and then covered with rich, smoky sauce with a hint of Chipotle. The result is sensational barbecue flavor people won’t find anywhere else.

Available in both individual and family meals, the chain’s Barbecue Chicken is perfect for summer get-togethers, paired with a wide assortment of sides plus warm tortillas and fresh salsas. El Pollo Loco’s traditional flame-grilled chicken is also available and guests can mix the two varieties, traditional and barbecue, in their order if they choose.

Through July 26, El Pollo Loco is offering a great deal on its delicious flame-grilled chicken, barbecue and traditional. Consumers can purchase eight pieces (legs and thighs) for just $6.99.

“These are challenging times and we want to make it easier for people to enjoy our flame-grilled chicken with great offers and exciting new products,” said Karen Eadon, chief marketing officer for El Pollo Loco. “In addition to our bone-in chicken promotion, our new BBQ Chicken Slider is priced at just 99 cents.”

El Pollo Loco’s new BBQ Chicken Slider adds a poultry twist to the mini burger phenomenon that is sweeping the nation. “It’s a snack size sandwich that delivers full size taste,” said Eadon. “The new BBQ Chicken Slider features plenty of El Pollo Loco’s fresh, natural, citrus-marinated, flame-grilled chicken mixed with spicy barbecue sauce and layered with crisp, cool coleslaw on a grilled mini telera roll.”

El Pollo Loco will communicate its limited time Barbecue Chicken and BBQ Chicken Slider to consumers through a multimedia campaign that begins today and includes general market and Spanish-language television spots that will appear in select markets across the country. In addition to television, a mix of point-of-purchase vehicles will be used, including full menu panels, window merchandising and drive-thru communication.