Costa Mesa-based El Pollo Loco Holdings Inc. (Nasdaq: LOCO) has named Ira Fils as its new chief financial officer, effective June 27. Recently appointed Chief Executive Larry Roberts has been acting as interim CFO until now.
Fils has a 20-year financial background in the restaurant industry. As the previous CFO of Habit Restaurants Inc., he oversaw the growth of Habit restaurants from 20 to over 300, led the company’s IPO in 2014, and was involved in its sale to Yum Brands Inc. in 2020.
Prior to that, Fils worked as CFO to Rubio’s Restaurants Inc. and then Mimi’s Café.
“Combined with his deep knowledge of and passion for the restaurant industry, I believe Ira is the perfect complement to our management team and I look forward to his contributions as we execute our strategic priorities and endeavor to accelerate growth in 2022 and beyond,” Roberts said in a statement.
El Pollo Loco reported systemwide sales of $973 million for 12 months ended December 2021, ranking No. 5 on the Business Journal’s list of OC-based restaurant chains last month.
