---
title: "El Pollo Loco Names Maria Hollandsworth as Chief Operating Officer"
url: https://burnaze.com/article/34877c71-90a3-4938-a153-b50d5fab774d
source: "Franchising.com"
original_url: https://www.franchising.com/news/20221021_el_pollo_loco_names_maria_hollandsworth_as_chief_operating_officer.html
category: "Chicken"
industry: "Restaurants"
segment: "Chicken"
topics: ["People"]
published: 2022-10-21T12:00:00.000Z
modified: 2026-11-01T02:06:54.980Z
image: https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1561758033-d89a9ad46330?w=1600&q=80&auto=format&fit=crop
---

# El Pollo Loco Names Maria Hollandsworth as Chief Operating Officer

**TL;DR:** El Pollo Loco appointed Maria Hollandsworth as its new Chief Operating Officer, effective October 31, 2022. She brings over 30 years of experience in the restaurant industry, having previously worked at Dunkin' and Jack in the Box.

*originally published in Franchising.com on 2022-10-21. [Read the original](https://www.franchising.com/news/20221021_el_pollo_loco_names_maria_hollandsworth_as_chief_operating_officer.html).*

## Story

“I am thrilled to have Maria join the El Pollo Loco family,” said Larry Roberts, Chief Executive Officer of El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. “Throughout her 30-plus year career in the restaurant industry, she has proven her leadership acumen in every facet of restaurant operations. Maria’s expertise in driving operational excellence, as well as her deep knowledge of franchisee relations and management.”

Before joining El Pollo Loco, Ms. Hollandsworth was the Regional Vice President of Operations for Dunkin’, a division of multi-brand restaurant company Inspire Brands, Inc. During her tenure, she worked closely with Dunkin’ franchisees to establish and execute a strategic market plan.

She also led the leadership team in building strong relationships with franchisee leaders and increasing profitability through a culture of trust, respect, and improved guest satisfaction. Prior to Inspire, Ms. Hollandsworth worked for over 20 years at Jack in the Box, most recently serving as the Vice President of Strategic Initiatives and Operations Services from 2013 to 2018, where she successfully executed the creation and implementation of enterprise-wide strategic initiatives across over 2,000 restaurants.

Prior to this role, Ms. Hollandsworth held leadership roles in both company and franchise operations at Jack in the Box.

## Entities

- Franchising.com (publication)
- Restaurants (sector)
- restaurant industry (topic)
- executive appointment (topic)
- Dunkin' Brands (company)
- Inspire Brands (company)
- Jack in the Box (company)
- El Pollo Loco (company)
- franchisee relations (topic)

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Originally reported by Franchising.com (https://www.franchising.com/news/20221021_el_pollo_loco_names_maria_hollandsworth_as_chief_operating_officer.html). Summarized by Burnaze (https://burnaze.com/article/34877c71-90a3-4938-a153-b50d5fab774d).