El Pollo Loco

What El Pollo Loco does

El Pollo Loco, Inc. is a publicly traded (NASDAQ: LOCO) fast-casual restaurant chain founded in 1975 and headquartered in Costa Mesa, California, operating and franchising more than 500 restaurants across nine U.S. states (with California as the primary market) plus licensed locations in the Philippines. The chain's core offering is citrus-marinated, fire-grilled chicken served whole, by the piece, or incorporated into a broader Mexican-inspired menu of bowls, tacos, burritos, tostadas, salads, family meals, and limited-time items such as Loco Tenders, Loaded Quesadillas, Baja Double Tostadas with shrimp, and Chatacoffee iced coffee.

The underlying technology stack is a restaurant point-of-sale and digital ordering ecosystem rather than a proprietary software platform. Online and mobile ordering is powered by Olo, loyalty by Punchh (Loco Rewards three-tier program), payments by Heartland Payment Systems, and marketing automation by IBM Marketing Cloud. AI-powered voice agents have been deployed at certain drive-thru lanes to automate order capture. Digital ordering, mobile app engagement, and customer data integration with loyalty are positioned as a "digital-first" pillar of management's current five-pillar turnaround strategy.

El Pollo Loco generates revenue through three streams: company-owned restaurant food and beverage sales, franchise fees ($40,000 per unit) and ongoing royalties, and catering services for events. Pricing is unit-based with items generally under $15 (notably a curated Protein Packed Menu of 20+ items with 23-74g of protein under $15). Customers are individual consumers, families, and health-conscious diners reached through dine-in, drive-thru, online/app ordering, and catering; franchise growth targets multi-unit operators with minimum $1.5M net worth and $600K liquid assets. Same-store sales grew 5.8% in Q1 2026 and restaurant-level operating margin reached 19.2%, marking the first sustained positive traffic trend following a multi-year decline.

Name

El Pollo Loco

Legal name

El Pollo Loco, Inc.

Website

https://elpolloloco.com

Company type

Public

Founded year

1975

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

El Pollo Loco is a publicly traded fast-casual chain (NASDAQ: LOCO) operating and franchising 500+ fire-grilled chicken restaurants across nine U.S. states and the Philippines, serving individual consumers and families via dine-in, drive-thru, mobile ordering, and catering.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Fast-Casual Restaurant Chain

NAICS

Limited-Service Restaurants (722513)

SIC

Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810)

akta.pro primary industry

Mexican & Tex-Mex Fast Casual (THAFABAC)

Keywords

• Fast-casual dining
• Fire-grilled chicken
• Restaurant franchise
• Mexican-inspired cuisine
• Quick-service restaurant

Headquarters

HQ city

Costa Mesa

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Restaurant Food and Beverage Sales: El Pollo Loco generates the majority of its revenue through company-owned restaurant sales of food and beverages. This includes dine-in, drive-thru, and takeout orders placed at locations or through digital ordering channels.
2. Franchise Fees and Royalties: The company earns revenue from franchise operators through initial franchise fees ($40,000 per unit) and ongoing royalty payments based on franchise restaurant sales.
3. Catering Services: El Pollo Loco offers catering services for events and gatherings, providing bulk food orders for both company-owned and potentially franchise locations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

El Pollo Loco operates and franchises fast-casual restaurants specializing in citrus-marinated, fire-grilled chicken cooked over an open flame, served through dine-in, drive-thru, online ordering, mobile app, and catering channels. The menu extends to Mexican-inspired items including tacos, burritos, bowls, tostadas, salads, family meals, and limited-time offerings, supported by the Loco Rewards loyalty program and a franchise development program targeting multi-unit operators.

Product overview

El Pollo Loco is a fire-grilled chicken restaurant chain operating over 500 locations across nine U.S. states, founded in 1975. The company offers a diverse menu centered on its signature citrus-marinated, flame-grilled chicken, including items like the Original Pollo Bowl, tacos (Chicken Taco Al Carbon), burritos (Guacamole Chicken Burrito, Classic Chicken Burrito, BRC Burrito), tostadas, and family meals. Recent menu innovations include limited-time offerings such as Loco Tenders, Loaded Quesadillas, Chatacoffee beverages, and seasonal shrimp items. The company operates the Loco Rewards loyalty program with three tiers (Pollito, Pollo, Pollo Loco) and offers catering services, gift cards, and franchise opportunities. Digital ordering is available through mobile app and online platforms via integration with Olo and Puunch.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Fire-Grilled Chicken Signature citrus-marinated chicken cooked over an open flame, sold as whole chicken, individual pieces, or as an ingredient in other menu items for dine-in, drive-thru, takeout, and catering customers.
• Tacos Menu category including Shredded Chicken Crunchy Taco, Chicken Taco Al Carbon with citrus-marinated chicken, diced onion and cilantro, and Chicken Avocado Taco, sold to dine-in and online customers.
• Burritos Menu category including Guacamole Chicken Burrito, Chipotle Guacamole Chicken Burrito, Queso Guacamole Chicken Burrito, BRC Burrito (beans, rice, cheese), and Classic Chicken Burrito, sold to dine-in and online customers.
• Bowls Bowl menu category anchored by the Original Pollo Bowl combining fire-grilled chicken, seasoned rice, slow-simmered pinto beans, diced onions, cilantro, and salsa fresca, sold to dine-in and online customers.
• Tostadas & Salads Menu category including Baja Double Chicken Tostada, Mexican Caesar Double Pollo Salad, Street Corn Double Pollo Salad, Classic Chicken Tostada, and Double Chicken Tostada, sold to dine-in and online customers.
• Loaded Quesadillas Limited-time menu offering featuring fire-grilled chicken with melted Jack cheese in a warm flour tortilla, available in Queso and Street Corn varieties at participating U.S. locations.
• Loco Tenders Limited-time chicken tenders in Spicy and Classic varieties with three signature dipping sauces, offered as 2-, 3-, or 4-piece meal options, expanding the chain's fire-grilled chicken expertise into the tenders category.
• BBQ Black Beans Limited-time side dish returning by popular demand after being discontinued in 2017, reinstated following consumer vote on El Pollo Loco's Instagram.
• Chatacoffee Limited-time iced coffee beverages combining classic iced coffee with Mexican-style Horchata in three variations at participating U.S. locations.
• Baja Double Tostadas with Shrimp Limited-time seasonal seafood menu launch featuring Baja Double Shrimp, Baja Double Chicken, Baja Chicken & Shrimp Tostadas, and Baja Shrimp Tacos with Lime Crema Sauce and chili lime seasoning, marking the chain's first seasonal seafood expansion beyond fire-grilled chicken.
• Protein Packed Menu Curated lineup of more than 20 protein-heavy existing menu items with 23-74 grams of protein per serving, all priced under $15, targeting protein-conscious consumers.
• Family Meals Family-sized meal options including 8-piece, 12-piece, and 16-piece chicken family meals designed for at-home family dining.
• Kids Meals Kids meal offerings including Two Legs (two flame-grilled chicken legs with sides) and BRC Kids Meal (bean, rice, cheese burrito with sides and drink).
• Snacks & Sweets Menu category including Caramel Flan, Cinnamon Churros, Chicken Tortilla Soup, BRC Burrito, Chips & Guacamole, Chips & Queso, Queso Blanco, Tortilla Chips, Flour Tortillas, Corn Tortillas, and various sauces and dressings.
• Loco Rewards Three-tiered loyalty program (Pollito, Pollo, Pollo Loco) enabling customers to earn points on purchases, redeem rewards, receive personalized offers, gain early access to new menu items, and access experiential prizes including the Coca-Cola Soccer Challenge promotion.
• Loco Catering Catering service for events offering fire-grilled chicken meals, tortillas, beans, rice, salad, salsa, and churros in various portion sizes for parties, corporate events, and gatherings.
• Gift Cards Stored value gift cards available for purchase in-restaurant and online, with bulk ordering options for corporate incentives.
• Franchise Program Franchise opportunity with minimum requirements of $1-1.5M net worth, $300-600K liquid assets, and 5 years of restaurant ownership experience; initial investment estimated $770K-$2.097M per unit with $40,000 franchise fee.

Quantifiable outcome

• 5.8% same-store sales growth in Q1 2026, outpacing expected 2.4%
• +3 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

AI capability2 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Coca-ColacoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 13 March 2026El Pollo Loco partnered with Coca-Cola, an official partner of Major League Soccer, for the Coca-Cola x El Pollo Loco Soccer Challenge. The promotion offered Loco Rewards members the chance to win a VIP trip to the 2026 MLS All-Star Game in Charlotte, North Carolina, including hotel accommodations and flight vouchers. The campaign ran from March 13 through April 9, 2026, as part of the loyalty program's experiential rewards expansion.
• Major League Soccer (MLS)minorGTM or Marketing Partner · 13 March 2026Through the Coca-Cola partnership, El Pollo Loco is associated with Major League Soccer as part of the 2026 MLS All-Star Game promotion, offering loyalty members opportunities to win tickets and VIP experiences to the soccer event in Charlotte, North Carolina.
• OLOcoreTechnology or IntegrationOLO provides online ordering infrastructure for El Pollo Loco's website and digital platforms, enabling customers to place orders online and through mobile apps. OLO collects and shares customer information including name, email, phone number, and order details with El Pollo Loco for order processing and marketing purposes.
• Punchh LoyaltycoreTechnology or IntegrationPunchh provides the loyalty technology platform powering the Loco Rewards program, handling point accumulation, tier management, and reward redemption functionality integrated with the company's mobile app and online ordering systems.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Del Taco: Mexican-inspired quick-service and fast-casual chain with significant California and Southwest footprint overlapping El Pollo Loco's core markets. Comparable value-oriented menu and franchise model, with similar price points and operating geography.
• Raising Cane's: Chicken-tenders-focused fast-casual chain with a fast-growing national footprint. Directly competes with El Pollo Loco for the chicken occasion, with similar dine-in, drive-thru, and digital ordering channels and a comparable simple, category-focused menu approach.
• Moe's Southwest Grill: Mexican fast-casual chain (owned by Focus Brands) operating more than 700 franchised locations. Comparable menu (burritos, bowls, tacos, quesadillas), franchise-heavy growth model, and similar value positioning in the Mexican fast-casual category.
• Qdoba Mexican Eats: Mexican fast-casual chain (owned by Apollo Global Management) offering bowls, burritos, tacos, and quesadillas in a similar dine-in and digital ordering format. Directly comparable menu architecture and franchise model.
• Chipotle Mexican Grill: The leading Mexican fast-casual restaurant chain operating more than 3,500 company-owned locations. Chipotle is the most direct comparable to El Pollo Loco's fast-casual Mexican positioning, with overlapping menu categories (bowls, burritos, tacos) and similar dine-in, drive-thru, and digital ordering channels.
• Wingstop: Chicken-focused fast-casual chain with a franchise-led growth model and similar digital ordering, loyalty program, and delivery-driven unit economics. Directly competes for the same chicken occasion El Pollo Loco targets.

Emerging players

• Bojangles: Chicken-and-biscuits-focused QSR chain with a growing national footprint. Targets a similar Southern-inspired, chicken-centric consumer occasion and is expanding outside its core Southeastern U.S. base, providing a relevant emerging comparable in the chicken category.

Broad incumbents

• Taco Bell: Mexican QSR giant operated by Yum! Brands with 7,000+ U.S. locations and dominant share of the Mexican QSR category. Competes for the same value-seeking consumer occasions as El Pollo Loco but at a much larger scale and broader menu.
• Chick-fil-A: Largest U.S. chicken QSR chain with more than 3,000 locations and industry-leading same-store sales. Sets the competitive benchmark for the chicken QSR category that El Pollo Loco operates in and drives category pricing and traffic expectations.

Regional players

• Pollo Campero: Latin American flame-grilled chicken restaurant chain headquartered in Guatemala with a strong U.S. and international footprint. Most directly comparable to El Pollo Loco in terms of citrus-marinated, flame-grilled chicken preparation method and Latin American cuisine positioning, though primarily serves Hispanic-majority and international markets.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ElPolloLoco
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/elpolloloco
• Facebookfacebook.com/ElPolloLoco
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/el-pollo-loco
• Instagraminstagram.com/elpolloloco
• TikToktiktok.com/@elpolloloco

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds3 records

Investors2 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about El Pollo Loco