El Pollo Loco tests fish tacoEl Pollo Loco tests fish taco

Lisa Jennings

COSTA MESA Calif. Chicken chain El Pollo Loco is testing a fish taco in a handful of stores in Southern California, officials said Wednesday.

Julie Weeks, a spokeswoman for the Costa Mesa, Calif.-based chain, described the fish taco offer as a preliminary test to gauge consumer reaction and said the product is not on the calendar for 2010.

Fish tacos are a nearly ubiquitous menu item in Southern California, even appearing on menus at restaurants that are not Mexican in theme. California Pizza Kitchen, for example, this fall added a mahi mahi fish taco to the menu, and a fish taco can also be found at BJ’s Restaurants.

Other California-based chains are known for fish tacos, including Carlsbad, Calif.-based Rubio’s Fresh Mexican Grill, where fish tacos have been a top-selling item for more than two decades, as well as the Santa Ana, Calif.-based Wahoo’s Fish Tacos chain, which celebrates its 21^st anniversary this year.

Del Taco, a hybrid quick-service burger and Mexican food chain based in Lake Forest, Calif., introduced a crispy fish taco in 2005, and the item has remained a top seller ever since, officials said. The chain also offers a popular fried shrimp taco as a limited-time offer, typically in the spring.

Weeks noted this is not the first time that El Pollo Loco, which is known for its citrus-marinated grilled chicken, has offered other proteins. In the early 1990s, the chain offered steak tacos, though the menu later evolved to focus more on the signature grilled chicken.

Early indications show the fish taco is performing well, though Weeks said the company does not yet have any data.

El Pollo Loco operates or franchises 415 units across the country, mostly in the West.

Contact Lisa Jennings at [email protected].