El Pollo Loco (Spanish for "The Crazy Chicken") is the name of three independent restaurant chains that specialize in Mexican-style grilled chicken.
The Mexican and American companies were founded by Juan Francisco Ochoa[1] while the Filipino company began as a franchisee of the American company in 1991 that later broke free of its contract and was allowed to retain its trademarks within the Philippines in 2016.
[2] Ochoa established the first El Pollo Loco restaurant in Guasave, Sinaloa, Mexico in 1974.
[3][4][5] He then expanded his chain into the United States in 1980.
[8] The two North American companies have since occupied non-overlapping global territories and have offered different fare.