El Pollo Loco partners with Tell Us About Us to seek customer feedback as a tool for continuous improvement

Press Release

Irvine, Calif. (March 11, 2004) -- El Pollo Loco, Inc., the nation’s leading quick-service restaurant chain specializing in flame-grilled chicken, recently signed an agreement with Tell Us About Us, Inc. to provide ongoing customer feedback services to its more than 300 restaurants.

The partnership was initiated to facilitate communication between El Pollo Loco and its customers. “We place tremendous value on the feedback we receive from our guests. They share with us what we are doing right and also point out ways that we can improve,” said Karen Eadon, chief marketing officer for El Pollo Loco, Inc. “In searching for better ways to capture feedback from our guests, we found that the Tell Us About Us program offered an easy-to-use tool that our managers can access to help them improve their operations every day.”

Individual El Pollo Loco locations now distribute feedback forms to customers, inviting them to share their restaurant experience by participating in a three-minute survey via the web or telephone. Survey questions, customized for El Pollo Loco, focus on details of the customer’s experience, as well as the location’s cleanliness, speed of service, quality of food, staff courtesy, etc. Customers have the opportunity to add additional comments. Upon completion, survey participants receive a code that validates their invitation card for $1.00 off on their next visit to an El Pollo Loco restaurant.

Immediately following the interview, survey results are posted on web-based reports and transmitted directly to El Pollo Loco managers in the respective restaurants. In addition to managers in the restaurants, all levels of El Pollo Loco management are given password-protected access so that they too can use the feedback to enhance the guest’s overall experience. Monthly reports are faxed to all location managers updating them on the latest feedback.

“We are very excited about this new opportunity our managers have to use real-time feedback to enhance our guests’ experience,” explained Eadon. “Tell Us About Us offers us a comprehensive and cost effective way to collect customer feedback and quickly get it to those empowered to achieve our guest service goals. We are also impressed with the support and interaction we receive from the Tell Us about Us account management team.”

El Pollo Loco is using the information they collect to meet their goal of exceptional guest service. Benchmarks have been established so that managers have practical goals. The power of the program lies in providing management the direct voice and opinion of the customer on a daily basis, enabling them to know what needs to be done to keep bringing customers back in the door. Importantly, the comments and opinions of customers are promptly acted upon and used to make future experiences even better.

El Pollo Loco, Inc., a privately held company headquartered in Irvine, California, is the nation’s leading quick-service restaurant chain specializing in citrus-marinated, flamegrilled chicken. El Pollo Loco currently operates more than 300 restaurants in four states-- California, Arizona, Nevada and Texas. For more information about El Pollo Loco, visit the company’s website at www.elpolloloco.com.

Tell Us About Us Inc.’s full suite of feedback solutions tools have helped thousands of North American service oriented businesses get closer to their customers. For more information about Tell Us About Us, visit the company’s website at www.tellusaboutus.com