El Pollo Loco Inc. is making good on its plans to expand throughout parts of the Western United States, inking a multi-unit agreement with TWS Restaurant Corporation to develop nine restaurants in Northern California.

The franchise group, which owns 27 El Pollo Loco restaurants in the region, will open all locations by 2031 in the Bay Area and Sacramento.

"The Bay Area and Sacramento are amazing communities and an ideal fit for the El Pollo Loco brand as we continue to strengthen our roots and expand in Northern California," TWS Restaurant Corporation owner Manuel Perales said in the release. "We're thrilled to open more restaurant doors in the community and are proud to have the opportunity to provide a fun, family-friendly dining experience where locals can enjoy El Pollo Loco's signature citrus-marinated, fire-grilled chicken and fresh, authentic menu offerings."

The restaurants will feature El Pollo Loco's latest prototype designs geared to meet the demands of the company's off-premise business. One version has no indoor dining room. Instead, it caters largely to off-premise sales with a take-out window, a dual drive-thru, parking for curbside pick-up and patio seating. The second prototype will have a smaller-than-typical dining room that opens up to an expansive patio. This format store will also feature a dual drive-thru and curbside pick-up parking spaces.

Both prototypes share an enhanced digitized experience, including "Pollo To Go" cubbies for mobile to-go and delivery orders, digital menu boards and GPS-enabled curbside pick-up, all integrated with the company's dynamic and versatile mobile app.

The local expansion announcement comes at a time when El Pollo Loco is looking to expand its national footprint. Over the next few years, it will remodel more than 300 of its 478 existing restaurants with the new prototype designs and develop 140 restaurants in select DMAs throughout California, Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, Oregon, New Mexico, Texas and Washington.

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