On the cusp of its 500th location, El Pollo Loco is trying to create “local love” for the restaurant brand as it opens more locations outside its core market of California.
“There’s a lot of history and nostalgia with a brand, and we want to make sure that we keep El Pollo Loco in many people’s minds,” Chief Operating Officer Maria Hollandsworth told the Business Journal.
Store No. 500 will debut in Colorado Springs this year. The Costa Mesa company is also inching closer to a final version of the new restaurant prototype introduced last year.
The newer model is part of the company’s recent turnaround efforts spearheaded by Chief Executive Liz Williams. When she joined the chain in 2024, Williams noticed that most El Pollo Loco restaurants had not been updated in “too many years.”
“When you see a tower of the yellow, orange, red colors, that means that restaurant is either new or it’s remodeled,” Hollandsworth said.
El Pollo Loco is also celebrating 50 years since its founding and, in May, launched a brand redesign.
“It’s exciting to see how the brand is strategically evolving without forgetting its roots,” the COO said, adding that it takes time to modernize.
El Pollo Loco is also in the middle of relocating its headquarters from its longtime office on Harbor Boulevard to The MET office campus in Costa Mesa.
COO and Brand Ambassador
As the head of operations, Hollandsworth said measuring overall customer satisfaction is key. El Pollo Loco recently started working with software firm Service Management Group (SMG) to help collect feedback.
“This is really a true reflection of how the customer feels as well, in terms of whether they received their orders right, or if they received it in a friendly manner, in a way that they didn’t have to wait that long, that was convenient for them,” she said.
For internal growth, Hollandsworth said it’s her role to be visible and accessible to the chain’s 4,143 employees.
“But to me, the most important piece is being able to connect across all levels in my organization as a brand ambassador,” she said.
Additional Accolades, Personal Programs
Hollandsworth was named an honoree at the Business Journal’s Women in Business Awards in 2024.
Later in January, she was appointed to the Los Angeles branch board of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco. She was recently invited by Tracy Morales, vice president and senior relationship strategist. from PNC Bank to be part of a collective of local executive women for networking and support.
In April, the industry trade publication Nation’s Restaurant News featured her on its “2025 Power List” of women in food service, along with Williams, Chief Legal Officer Anne Jollay and Chief Marketing Officer Jill Adams.
Additionally, a small group of local Filipino students reached out to Hollandsworth for mentorship after hearing about the recognition. She has since formed a program named Darna—after a superhero known as the “Wonder Woman of the Philippines” to meet with them and other young Filipino people seeking advice on how to navigate the corporate environment.
