El Pollo Loco Introduces Fish Tacos

from El Pollo Loco:

Beginning Saturday, January 29 through mid April 2010, El Pollo Loco will offer two fish tacos-- the Classic Baja Fish Taco and the Spicy Avocado Fish Taco. Both tacos feature crispy beer battered Alaskan white fish tucked into warm corn tortillas and topped with shredded cabbage and fresh cilantro. The Classic Baja Fish Taco is drizzled with yogurt sauce mixed with El Pollo Loco’s signature house salsa recipe; the Spicy Avocado Fish Taco is topped with yogurt sauce combined with El Pollo Loco’s popular avocado salsa recipe. A slice of fresh lime adds a burst of citrus flavor to each taco. El Pollo Loco’s new limited time fish tacos are available individually and as a combo with a choice of any two fish tacos and a small drink.

Both are priced at a recommended $1.99 each. A combination meal is available featuring two tacos and a small drink for $5.29.

El Pollo Loco's Queso Crunch Burrito is Back

El Pollo Loco has brought back, for a limited time, their Queso Crunch Burrito.

This time, though, you can order it with either El Pollo Loco's flame-grilled chicken or citrus-marinated, flame-grilled Carne Asada style Sirloin steak.

The Queso Crunch Burrito combines your choice of meat with Jack cheese, poblano queso, Pico de Gallo salsa, tortilla strips and optional jalapeno slices, wrapped in a flour tortilla.  The burrito is grilled.

The Queso Crunch Burrito will be available through the end of September 2010.

The chicken version has 627 calories and 28 grams of fat.  Here's the complete nutritional info:

El Pollo Loco - Chicken Queso Crunch Burrito
Nutrition Facts Serv. Size 11 oz Servings 1 Calories 627   Fat Cal. 252 www.foodfacts.info	Amount/serving	%DV*		Amount/serving	%DV*
	Total Fat 28 g	43%		Total Carb. 64 g	21%
	Sat. Fat 9 g	45%		Fiber 3 g	12%
	Trans Fat 0 g			Sugars 5 g
	Cholesterol 36 mg	12%		Protein 28 g
	Sodium 1617 mg	67%
	*Percent Daily Values (DV) are based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Where's the Beef? At KFC Apparently!

KFC is off to a bad start with their new Grilled Chicken.

Apparently they use BEEF products in the marinade for their grilled chicken.

Specifically, as stated on page 14 of KFC's ingredient statement [pdf]: "Chicken Marinated with...Beef Powder, Rendered Beef Fat."

El Pollo Loco is going all out to let everyone know about this. They've had an ongoing feud with KFC over whose grilled chicken is better... claiming, in fact, that KFC's grilled chicken isn't even really grilled.

Here's the commercial they've created and will be airing in California to let everyone know what's in KFC's grilled chicken marinade:

The LA Times has picked up the story and spoken with KFC for their reaction.

El Pollo Loco Takes KFC to Task

While KFC is falling all over itself to try and save face after offering a coupon and then refusing to honor it (offering a rain check instead), El Pollo Loco is taking KFC to task and looking like a much more professional and on-the-ball organization than KFC.

First of all, El Pollo Loco noticed an interesting exclusion on the original KFC free grilled chicken meal coupon that stood out to me when I saw it, too. The coupon read, "Offer valid from 5/509 to 5/19/09, not valid on Mother's Day 5/10/09." (see the coupon here)Sure, KFC was hoping to not get swamped with free meal requests on one of their big days, Mother's Day. But, really, this was a missed opportunity for good will: A free meal for Mother! El Pollo Loco latched onto this error and ran with it in this video:

They also criticize KFC for copying their free grilled chicken promotion. But now that KFC has gone back on their free meal coupon offer, El Pollo Loco really has something to highlight, a huge failure on their competitors part. I'm sure we'll be seeing a new video from El Pollo Loco about this in mere hours.

But while we're talking about El Pollo Loco and KFC, here's another video highlighting their "Taste the Fire Challenge" taste test and some calls they allegedly received from KFC and YUM! Brands corporate offices:

A fast food chicken battle is clearly underway!

El Pollo Loco: Grilled Chicken Tortilla Roll

Over the weekend El Pollo Loco introduced their new Grilled Chicken Tortilla Roll. It has citrus-marinated, grilled chicken with Jack and cheddar cheeses rolled in a flour tortilla and grilled.

The Tortilla Roll comes with a choice of 3 dipping sauces: avocado salsa, creamy cilantro, or queso sauce. It sells for $1.99.

"Despite their increasingly demanding schedules, people today want far more than fast food," says Karen Eadon, chief marketing officer for El Pollo Loco. "They seek bold flavor, great value, and the opportunity to customize menu selections to their individual tastes. El Pollo Loco's new Grilled Chicken Tortilla Roll delivers on all accounts and is served with a choice of dipping sauce from three signature recipes available only at El Pollo Loco."

Nutrition Info:

387 Calories, 144 calories from fat, 16 grams of fat.