answers.input_text: short
answers.span_text: Juan Francisco Ochoa
questions: who is the founder of el pollo loco
name: El Pollo Loco
contexts: El Pollo Loco is the name of two independent restaurant chains that are controlled by different companies , El Pollo Loco , Inc. and El Pollo Loco , S.A. de C.V. Both companies specialize in Mexican - style grilled chicken and were founded by Juan Francisco Ochoa . Ochoa established the first El Pollo Loco restaurant in Guasave , Sinaloa , Mexico , in the mid-1970s , and then expanded his chain into the United States in 1980 . Ochoa then sold his U.S. restaurants in 1983 , which became El Pollo Loco , Inc. , while keeping the ones in Mexico , which became El Pollo Loco , S.A. de C.V. Both companies have since occupied non-overlapping global territories , and have offered different fare .