BY LENA MAGEE
The Westside Express
The first Los Banos El Pollo Loco held its ribbon-cutting on April 4. The restaurant, located on the corner of Mercey Springs Road and Pacheco Boulevard, opened on March 1 and has seen steady support in its first month.
El Pollo Loco is a restaurant chain specializing in fire-grilled chicken dishes. The chain began in Sinaloa, Mexico, and now there are over 400 El Pollo Loco locations throughout California.
Rafael Armenta, president of Northern California Chicken Inc., has been running El Pollo Loco franchises in the Central Valley since 1994. His first restaurant was in Modesto, and since then, he has acquired locations up and down State Route 99 and Interstate 5, across Merced, Stanislaus and San Joaquin counties.
Armenta co-owns this new location with his mother, Bertha Armenta, who herself has been involved with the restaurant franchise for many years.
Los Banos is the most recent location. Rafael Armenta has brought an El Pollo Loco to; however, he has considered bringing the restaurant to the area for several years.
“We’ve always been interested in this area,” he said. “It’s 20 minutes from Turlock, 20 minutes from Merced. It’s a good crossway point to attract commuters, travelers and the Los Banos community. Having a location in this area has been in the works for some time.”
Since its opening, Armenta has seen encouraging success with the new location. “The initial turnout was great, and it hasn’t dropped off. In terms of numbers, we’ve gone above expectations. We’re seeing great results,” he said.
Armenta shared his appreciation for the community’s support of the new business. “We want to thank the community for their ongoing support,” he said. “We appreciate that.”
With the restaurant’s success, Armenta said he is considering bringing in other chain restaurants, like Farmer Boys, should he find the right site.
