EL POLLO LOCO INC FRANCHISE AGREEMENT
El Pollo Loco franchises operate quick-service restaurants that specialize in fire-grilled, Mexican-style chicken and related food products and services. The business model involves licensing the company's proprietary System, including trademarks, recipes, building designs, and operational standards, to franchisees who pay initial fees, royalties, and advertising contributions. The target market is consumers in the competitive fast-food and quick-service restaurant industry seeking flavorful, grilled meals.
Franchise Costs
5% royalty + 5% ad fund + $1,050/mo IT support + $19/mo LMS + ~$100/mo digital boards + $75/mo security (~$1,200-$1,500/mo total fixed)
Financial Performance
Item 19 Financial Performance
Data Based On: EPL Restaurants that were operating during the entire 2024 fiscal year (which started on December 28, 2023 and ended on December 25, 2024) excluding EPL Restaurants that were temporarily closed for seven or more days and that opened during 2024.
* Calculated weighted average gross revenue for Franchised Restaurants (All EPL Restaurants category) from segmented data: (80 units × $3258264 + 79 units × $2325085 + 79 units × $1842616 + 80 units × $1278610) / 318 total units = $2176724.21. Median gross revenue, top quartile, and bottom quartile revenues are directly extracted from the 'All EPL Restaurants' table for 'Franchised Restaurants'.
Extracted Item 19 Section
How EL POLLO LOCO INC FRANCHISE AGREEMENT Compares
Key Insights
- Higher investment than 84% of Fast Casual franchises
| Franchise | Investment | Fee | Royalty | Locations |
|---|---|---|---|---|
EL POLLO LOCO INC FRANCHISE AGREEMENT Current | $794K – $2.7M | $40K | 5.0% | 7 |
| Tropical Smoothie Cafe | $300K – $721K | $35K | 6.0% | 1,371 |
| TROPICAL SMOOTHIE CAFÉ | $300K – $721K | $35K | 6.0% | 1,371 |
| FIREHOUSE SUBS RESTAURANTS (UNIT) | $379K – $1.4M | $20K | 6.0% | 1,248 |
| Zaxby's | $1.4M – $3.8M | $35K | 6.0% | 826 |
| Qdoba | $548K – $1.3M | $40K | 5.0% | 652 |
Fast Casual Average 107 franchises | $532K – $1.2M | $39K | 5.6% | – |
* Comparison based on latest FDD filings. Investment ranges from Item 7, fees from Item 5. Showing top 5 of 107 Fast Casual franchises by location count.
Locations & Growth
Outlet Growth Over Time
Total outlets at end of each year
Geographic Distribution (2024)
Outlets by state across the United States
SBA Loan History
Historical SBA 7(a) loan data for EL POLLO LOCO INC FRANCHISE AGREEMENT franchisees (2010 – 2025)
Loans by Year
SBA 7(a) loan activity over time
* Data sourced from SBA 7(a) FOIA loan records. Default rate calculated from charged-off loans.
Franchisee Contacts
336 franchisee contacts on file from official FDD filings.
| Name | SBA Loan |
|---|---|
John Smith ABC Franchise LLC | $350,000 2023 · Active |
John Smith ABC Franchise LLC | $350,000 2023 · Active |
John Smith ABC Franchise LLC | $350,000 2023 · Active |
John Smith ABC Franchise LLC | $350,000 2023 · Active |
John Smith ABC Franchise LLC | $350,000 2023 · Active |
336 Contacts Available
Unlock all EL POLLO LOCO INC FRANCHISE AGREEMENT franchisee contacts with verified contact information
Due Diligence
Litigation (Item 3)
Territorial development disputes, breach of non-solicitation provisions, and unauthorized use of marks by former franchisee.
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
Roadhouse Holding, Inc. filed Chapter 11 on August 8, 2016, emerged December 1, 2016. Samuel Borgese, a current Board of Directors member, was CEO of Roadhouse Holding, Inc. from October 2014 to August 2016.
System Health (Item 20)
Franchise system changes reported in the most recent fiscal year
Frequently Asked Questions
The total initial investment to open a EL POLLO LOCO INC FRANCHISE AGREEMENT franchise ranges from $793,750 to $2,685,500. This includes a franchise fee of $40,000. Ongoing royalty fees are 5.0% of gross sales.
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