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El Pollo Loco Expands in Utah, Emphasizes on Vision Design

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El Pollo Loco, Inc. (LOCO - Free Report) has been trying to expand its footprint in order to proliferate its brand awareness among customers. To this end, the company recently launched a restaurant in Sandy, UT, under the franchise partner W.K.S. Restaurant Corporation (“WKS”). Notably, this is the eighth restaurant by El Pollo Loco in Utah and the 61st restaurant by its loyal franchise partner WKS.

The move underscores El Pollo Loco’s efforts to further foray into various markets. Giving expansion strategies an utmost priority, it also announced that it will open eight company-owned and nine to 10 franchised restaurants in the current year.

The restaurant in Sandy will seat roughly 70 guests and feature the company’s ‘Vision Design’ initiative. A unique brand positioning and other sales-building strategies have led El Pollo Loco’s shares to gain 61.2% in the past year, outperforming the industry’s rally of 13.6%.


‘Vision Design’ to Aid Sales & Profits

The company is opening all of its restaurants under the ‘Vision Design’ initiative. Restaurants under this program offer authentic atmosphere inspired by Mexico that includes El Pollo Loco’s menu and brand identity. Those restaurants also have an open-kitchen layout to display the preparation of the signature dish.

The company believes that its vision model is going to position it better in the quick-service restaurant space. According to El Polo Loco, it is witnessing encouraging results from the implementation of this model in various company-owned and franchised restaurants. It also aims to reduce costs and drive sales through this initiative.

Bottom Line

The restaurant opening is in line with El Pollo Loco’s strategies for reaching out to a greater number of customers. The distinguished menu that is served in the restaurant also shows that the company is focusing on enriching guest experience to drive foot traffic and sales.

El Pollo Loco’s relentless focus on providing excellent service and reasonable pricing is expected to continue driving revenues. Banking on menu innovation, limited-time offers and a strong brand positioning, the company witnessed year-over-year sales growth of 10.9% in the last reported quarter.

Zacks Rank & Other Stocks to Consider

El Pollo Loco currently carries a Zacks Rank #2(Buy). Other top-ranked restaurant stocks are BJ’s Restaurants (BJRI - Free Report) , Darden (DRI - Free Report) and Dunkin’ Brands , each carrying a Zacks Rank #2. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

Earnings for BJ’s Restaurants, Darden and Dunkin’ Brands for the current year are projected to increase by 64.5%, 16.8% and 16.5%, respectively.

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El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. (LOCO) - free report >>

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