A CHANCE TO GIVE BACK
DURING UNPRECEDENTED PANDEMIC, EL POLLO LOCO HELPS LATINA BUSINESSES THRIVE
Cultural celebrations are often a time for celebration and reflection, but during an unprecedented year, many familiar mile markers have gone by unnoticed. As Los Angeles recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic, the city also celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month, a reflection of the ingenuity, spirit and hard work of the Latinx community that helped build Southern California. Yet Latinx people’s livelihoods, many of them small family businesses, have been affected more deeply by the pandemic and its restrictions than any other group.
During this celebration, El Pollo Loco, the nation’s leading fire-grilled chicken restaurant chain, is using their considerable influence to specifically highlight and aid Latina-owned businesses adversely affected by the global coronavirus pandemic. These businesses, run by Latina entrepreneurs who are more often than not their family’s primary breadwinners, are more likely to be hurt by diminished business and health restrictions than any other ethnic/gender group. According to the Stanford Latino Entrepreneurship Initiative Survey, nearly two-thirds of Latinxowned businesses say they will not be able to continue operating beyond six months if current conditions continue.
Once a small business itself, El Pollo Loco was founded by a family from Sinaloa with a mother’s recipe and still operates its first restaurant on Alvarado Street. Inspired by its Hispanic heritage and Los Angeles roots, a commitment was made to give back to the communities that shaped and influenced the company.
El Pollo Loco’s Chief Executive Officer Bernard Acoca reflected on the devastating effects this situation has caused, with Latina-owned small businesses making the heartbreaking decision to close in the absence of any funding to keep going. He decided to use a moment typically intended for celebration to instead raise awareness and aid.
“This year has been unlike any other, leaving Latina-owned businesses disproportionately impacted,” said Acoca. “Given the critical role brands are expected to play during the pandemic and on the heels of Hispanic Heritage Month, we felt compelled to find a way to support the people and city we call home.”
While the company was able to switch much of its own business to drive-thru, pickup and delivery during the pandemic and ensure their largely Latinx employees were able to keep their jobs, Acoca recognized that smaller businesses may not have the same resources to quickly change their operating model and that government assistance would not be enough to save every livelihood, especially for hardworking Latina small business owners.
To initiate the pledge of support, El Pollo Loco has committed $100,000 in grant money for Latina-owned businesses in Los Angeles through the launch of the El Pollo Local Grants initiative. This influx of cash often represents a lifesaver as pandemic restrictions remain in place and the threat to both health and the economy continues.
As part of the grant program, El Pollo Loco is also encouraging the greater L.A. community to stand with them and take action — and reach even more local small businesses by making donations through the GoFundMe platform, available at
GoFundMe.com/EPLGrants. With every additional $10,000 raised, El Pollo Local Grants can help another Latina-owned business stay open.
To reach these businesses, El Pollo Loco relied on the expertise of Ana Flores, founder and CEO of #WeAllGrow Latina, a nonprofit network of Latina professionals and entrepreneurs with a considerable reach and a flair for connecting deserving women with resources, support and charitable giving.
#WeAllGrow Latina, with its communityand user-based resources, was uniquely positioned to locate and highlight businesses in need, said Flores. “When El Pollo Loco approached us about working together to support the local Latina business community, we were all in,” said Flores.
“We know that Latinas are driving economic gains that create generational wealth for the broader community, but that the circumstances of COVID-19 have posed a significant threat to our progress. This program will provide the exposure, mentorship, and the cash that women in our community, specifically those in the food industry, need to adapt their businesses to this new reality.”
Los Angeles, a majority Latinx city, has a huge number of Latina-owned businesses that area residents rely on or enjoy every day. This public portal to give back offers a chance to support small businesses that struggle to comply with current restrictions and remain open, or who have had their profits slashed due to customers being unable to utilize their services. Every day that coronavirus restrictions continue is one less day a small business can stay afloat. This partnership and public generosity may be the only foothold some small businesses, often family-owned and generational, could have.
El Pollo Loco, though now an L.A. staple, started, grew and thrived right here in the city. And, with 80% of its current workforce Latinx, El Pollo Loco feels a passion to preserve and aid small businesses and the hardworking Latina owners doing everything they can to stay afloat during these unprecedented times.
Similar to its first restaurant on Alvarado Street, which survived and grew only by the patronage and support of the surrounding community, El Pollo Loco is demonstrating that stewardship, understanding and togetherness are what will truly get Southern California beyond a troubled 2020 and to the brighter days ahead.