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The fox has its nose in El Pollo Loco's henhouse, but the company is acting like anything but a chicken. Indeed, the Irvine-based purveyor of Mexican-style grilled chicken is facing the latest offensive from the Colonel, as well as invasions by other chains, fully armed and sounding confident.
New advertising, marketing, franchises, menu items, service concepts and decor at the chain's locations are all part of the drill. And they're all going into place under a new attitude.
"We're looking forward very much to competing with Boston Chicken and Kenny Rogers Roasters and anyone else who wants to enter this market," said El Pollo Loco chief operating officer Raymond J. Perry, who is also a senior vice president with Spartanburg, S.C.-based parent corporation Flagstar Companies Inc. "We understand that when a competitor comes in, they're going to get a lot of trial, and we're going to be right there in their faces."
Inspiring the tough talk is a trio of competitors intent on winning over consumers by playing to the recent trend toward nonfried chicken.
* KFC Corp., whose Kentucky Fried Chicken outlets are long-established here, is pushing its new rotisserie-cooked bird.
* Carl Karcher Enterprises in Anaheim is preparing to launch about 200 Boston Chicken restaurants after signing a deal with the fast-growing Naperville, Ill., firm.
* Ft. Lauderdale, Florida-based Kenny Rogers Roasters has arrived with several stores in Southern California, including a Fountain Valley location, and plans for rapid growth.
At stake is flame-grilled specialist El Pollo Loco's position as co-leader -- along with KFC -- in Southern California's estimated $400 million market for fast-food chicken. While its competitors look at the region as a place to grow existing business or continue ambitious expansion plans, the bulk of El Pollo Loco's locations are in the five-county region and accounted for $168 million of its $180 million in sales last year.
To hold the fort and claim new ground, Flagstar brought in Perry, who arrived at El Pollo Loco one year ago with a full resume: 20 years with food service contractor Saga Corp. plus stints with Carl's Jr. Restaurants and Straw Hat Restaurants, where he served as president for seven years.
Two key hires quickly followed:
* Scott Jones came aboard as...