Farrow has more than 20 years of restaurant industry expertise and a track record of optimizing restaurant performance, the company said. Before joining El Pollo Loco, he was CEO of Restaurant Peak Performance LLC, a retail and restaurant consulting firm he founded in 2008. Before that, he was COO of IHOP Corp., senior vice president of operations for Wendy’s International Inc. and senior director of operations services for Taco Bell Corp.
“Dennis is an operations power house and we are thrilled to have him on our team,” said Steve Sather, president and CEO. “He has a proven record of building organizational capability and will be a key driver in fueling El Pollo Loco’s momentum as we activate strategies consistent with our long-term business plan.”
El Pollo Loco plans to grow the company through a new platform of integrated marketing and crave-able new menu items that complement the chain’s signature flame-grilled chicken, a continued focus on operational excellence and a system-wide restaurant redesign and remodel program.
Farrow is based at El Pollo Loco’s Costa Mesa, Calif. headquarters. He holds a Bachelors degree in international affairs from the United States Military Academy, West Point in New York and a Masters degree in management administration from the J.L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University in Illinois.
