Owner of L.A.'s El Cholo Plans O.C. Chain

The owner of Los Angeles' landmark El Cholo restaurant is planning to open a small chain of casual Mexican eateries in Orange County. The first restaurant will make its debut in September in Irvine.

Ron Salisbury, third-generation owner El Cholo, will partner with former Chart House chairman John Creed on the venture. "We are starting with Irvine to see how well the Orange County market works out," Salisbury said. "We eventually want to build five units, then see where we can go with it."

The restaurant is expected to be a pared-down version of the original Los Angeles restaurant that opened 70 years ago. There are also El Cholo restaurants in La Habra and Santa Monica.

The new Irvine restaurant will not carry the El Cholo name but will include some of El Cholo's popular menu features such as fajitas, chimichangas, burritos and combo plates.

The lower-priced menu has been successfully tested Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday nights at the El Cholo in La Habra.