Chicken--the Dance for Y2K
The El Pollo Loco chain is starting the new year off with a new owner and advertising slogan: “When You’re Crazy for Chicken.”
The Irvine-based chain, purchased by the New York Investment firm of American Securities Capital, launched the first in a series of high-energy television commercials Jan. 3 featuring people breaking into the “chicken dance” during the course of their day.
“The chicken dance is something we’ll be doing throughout 2000,” said Michael Gretzinger, vice president of Daily and Associates in West Hollywood, the firm that has had the El Pollo account since 1998.
The first commercial features a policewoman directing traffic. “She hears the music, and all of sudden she does the chicken dance,” Gretzinger said. “People then start getting out of their cars and doing the dance, and a sort of street fair ensues.”
The new spots come as the 274-unit chain moves to open more restaurants in its core areas, mostly in California. The chain has 36 restaurants in Orange County.
El Pollo Loco was sold by its previous owner, South Carolina-based Advantica Restaurant Group Inc., which wanted to focus on remodeling its Denny’s, Coco’s and Carrows chains.
