LOCO on Nasdaq

El Pollo Loco

American and Mexican fast food restaurant chains

El Pollo Loco (Spanish for "The Crazy Chicken") is the name of three independent restaurant chains that specialize in Mexican-style grilled chicken. The Mexican and American companies were founded by Juan Francisco Ochoa while the Filipino company began as a franchisee of the American company in 1991 that later broke free of its contract and was allowed to retain its trademarks within the Philippines in 2016. Ochoa established the first El Pollo Loco restaurant in Guasave, Sinaloa, Mexico in 1974.3 Wikipedia text CC BY-SA 4.0

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Last updated Oct 21, 2026.

Overview

1975Founded1

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  • TickerLOCO on Nasdaq1
  • Industrycasual dining, fast food1
  • HeadquartersIrvine1
  • Founded inLos Angeles1
  • Websitewww.elpolloloco.com
  • Legal formDelaware corporation1
  • LEI549300EZCBNF4G707K904
  • StatusActive4
  • LEI statusLapsed (not renewed)4
  • Registered addressC/O THE CORPORATION TRUST COMPANY, 19801 Wilmington, United States4
  • Registered withDivision of Corporations, Department of State, 40290284
Elpollolocoheadquartersentrance
Photo: Coolcaesar, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons6

El Pollo Loco (Spanish for "The Crazy Chicken") is the name of three independent restaurant chains that specialize in Mexican-style grilled chicken. The Mexican and American companies were founded by Juan Francisco Ochoa while the Filipino company began as a franchisee of the American company in 1991 that later broke free of its contract and was allowed to retain its trademarks within the Philippines in 2016.3

Financials

From the company’s reports to the SEC. Every number links to the filing it came from.

Key numbers, fiscal 2025

8.6%Operating margin7
5.4%Net margin7
3.6%Revenue growth, 20257
9.1%Return on equity7
0.18×Debt to equity7
$25.4MFree cash flow7

What sells

Revenue by product, business segment and region, as the company reports it to the SEC.

Products and services

Service brought in 83% of the revenue El Pollo Loco broke down this way in fiscal 2025.

  1. Service$405.8M783%up 2% from 2024
  2. Franchise$52.4M711%up 15% from 2024
  3. Franchise Advertising Fee$31.8M76%up 2% from 2024
Products and services by year
Products and services202320242025
Service$398.4M$396.3M$405.8M
Franchise$41.0M$45.6M$52.4M
Franchise Advertising Fee$29.2M$31.2M$31.8M

Where the money goes

Where each dollar of revenue went, fiscal 2025

  • Other costs92¢$452.5M
  • Income tax2¢$11.1M
  • Profit5¢$26.5M

Out of $490.0M in revenue.7

Where each dollar of operating cash went, fiscal 2025

  • Capital spending47¢$22.6M
  • Share buybacks4¢$1.8M
  • Kept or used elsewhere49¢$23.6M

Out of $48.1M of cash from operations.7

Financial statements

Revenue8910117$490.0M in 2025+11% since 2019
0$200.0M$400.0M$600.0M2019: $442.3M$442.3M20192020: $426.1M$426.1M2020−4%2021: $454.4M$454.4M2021+7%2022: $470.0M$470.0M2022+3%2023: $468.7M$468.7M2023−0%2024: $473.0M$473.0M2024+1%2025: $490.0M$490.0M2025+4%
Operating income12910117$42.0M in 2025+10% since 2019
0$20.0M$40.0M$60.0M2019: $38.3M$38.3M20192020: $33.6M$33.6M2020−12%2021: $41.3M$41.3M2021+23%2022: $30.1M$30.1M2022−27%2023: $39.8M$39.8M2023+32%2024: $41.2M$41.2M2024+3%2025: $42.0M$42.0M2025+2%
Net income12910117$26.5M in 2025+6% since 2019
0$10.0M$20.0M$30.0M2019: $24.9M$24.9M20192020: $24.5M$24.5M2020−2%2021: $29.1M$29.1M2021+19%2022: $20.8M$20.8M2022−29%2023: $25.6M$25.6M2023+23%2024: $25.7M$25.7M2024+1%2025: $26.5M$26.5M2025+3%

Every line of the income statement as filed: the last 3 fiscal years, latest first.7

Period ending2025-12-312024-12-312023-12-31
Total revenue$490.0M$473.0M$468.7M
Food and paper cost$100.1M$100.7M$108.2M
Labor and related expenses$127.3M$127.2M$127.2M
Occupancy and other operating expenses$106.4M$99.3M$101.4M
Gain on recovery of insurance proceeds, lost profits, net-$300.0K-$327.0K
Company restaurant expenses$333.7M$327.2M$336.6M
General and administrative expenses$50.3M$46.3M$42.0M
Franchise expenses$47.8M$42.3M$38.4M
Depreciation and amortization$16.0M$15.7M$15.2M
Loss on disposal of assets$277.0K$221.0K$192.0K
Gain on recovery of insurance proceeds, property, equipment and expenses-$41.0K-$247.0K
Loss (gain) on disposition of restaurants$7.0K-$5.0M
Impairment and closed-store reserves$11.0K$175.0K$1.7M
Total expenses$448.0M$431.8M$428.9M
Income from operations$42.0M$41.2M$39.8M
Interest expense, net$4.5M$5.9M$4.8M
Income tax receivable agreement (income) expense-$20.0K$103.0K
Income before provision for income taxes$37.6M$35.3M$34.9M
Provision for income taxes$11.1M$9.6M$9.3M
Net income$26.5M$25.7M$25.6M
Basic (usd per share)$0.91$0.86$0.75
Diluted (usd per share)$0.90$0.86$0.74
Basic (shares)29.2M shares29.9M shares34.3M shares
Diluted (shares)29.4M shares30.0M shares34.4M shares

Compare El Pollo Loco with another company

Corporate structure

El Pollo Loco sits at the top of its group. 2 entities, 1 country on record. Switch between the flow chart and the network, and select any entity to see its details.

Major holders of El Pollo Loco

  • El Pollo Loco Costa Mesa, California, United States

Built from parent and subsidiary links from GLEIF, the Global Legal Entity Identifier Foundation (CC0); major holders from Schedules 13D and 13G. Each entity in the chart links to its source.

Leadership

Who has led El Pollo Loco, and when. Pick a name to see everywhere that person has worked.

Board members and other officers (24)

Products and brands

  • chicken as food

Listed on Wikidata.1

Subsidiaries and ownership

Subsidiaries (GLEIF)

Ownership links from GLEIF, the Global Legal Entity Identifier Foundation (CC0); each one cites its LEI record.

Timeline

  1. Sep 25, 20268-K Executive or director change50
  2. Aug 6, 20268-K Results of operations51
  3. May 29, 20268-K Executive or director change; Shareholder vote52
  4. May 28, 20268-K Other events53
  5. May 7, 20268-K Results of operations54
  6. Mar 12, 20268-K Results of operations55
  7. Jan 28, 20268-K Executive or director change; Regulation FD disclosure56
  8. Dec 15, 20258-K Executive or director change; Regulation FD disclosure57
  9. Nov 20, 20258-K Executive or director change58
  10. Oct 30, 20258-K Results of operations59
  11. Jul 31, 20258-K Results of operations60
  12. Jun 5, 20258-K Executive or director change; Bylaws or fiscal year changed; Shareholder vote61
  13. May 20, 2024New chief executive Elizabeth Goodwin Williams becomes CEO16
  14. Nov 9, 2023New chief executive Maria Hollandsworth becomes CEO17
  15. Nov 12, 2021New chief executive Laurance Roberts becomes CEO18
  16. Mar 15, 2018New chief executive Bernard Acoca becomes CEO19
  17. Jul 24, 2014New chief executive Stephen J. Sather becomes CEO20
  18. 1975Founded Founded in Los Angeles1

Calendar

Coming up

  1. Nov 5, 2026 · After the closeReports results for the quarter ending Sep/2026 A year earlier it reported $0.27 a share, on Oct 30, 2025.62

When it reported results

  1. Aug 6, 2026Reported quarterly or annual results51
  2. May 7, 2026Reported quarterly or annual results54
  3. Mar 12, 2026Reported quarterly or annual results55
  4. Oct 30, 2025Reported quarterly or annual results59
  5. Jul 31, 2025Reported quarterly or annual results60
  6. May 1, 2025Reported quarterly or annual results63
  7. Mar 6, 2025Reported quarterly or annual results64
  8. Oct 31, 2024Reported quarterly or annual results65

Upcoming dates from Nasdaq's calendar; past results from the company's 8-K filings (Item 2.02). The full markets calendar

Filings

273 filings to the SEC since October 2021: 5 annual reports, 15 quarterly reports, 52 major events, 127 insider forms, 34 large holders, 40 other. The latest 20:

  1. Sep 25, 20268-K EDGAR
  2. Aug 25, 20264 PRIMARY DOCUMENT EDGAR
  3. Aug 11, 20264 OWNERSHIP DOCUMENT EDGAR
  4. Aug 7, 202610-Q EDGAR
  5. Aug 6, 20268-K EDGAR
  6. Aug 5, 20264 OWNERSHIP DOCUMENT EDGAR
  7. Jul 31, 20264 OWNERSHIP DOCUMENT EDGAR
  8. Jul 29, 2026144/A EDGAR
  9. Jul 21, 20264 OWNERSHIP DOCUMENT EDGAR
  10. Jul 16, 20264 OWNERSHIP DOCUMENT EDGAR
  11. Jul 14, 20264 OWNERSHIP DOCUMENT EDGAR
  12. Jul 6, 20264 OWNERSHIP DOCUMENT EDGAR
  13. Jul 2, 2026SCHEDULE 13D/A EDGAR
  14. Jun 30, 20264 OWNERSHIP DOCUMENT EDGAR
  15. Jun 26, 2026144 EDGAR
  16. Jun 1, 20264 EDGAR
  17. Jun 1, 20264 EDGAR
  18. May 29, 20268-K EDGAR
  19. May 28, 20268-K EDGAR
  20. May 12, 20264 EDGAR

The 273 filings since October 2021 can be filtered by form type and year here when JavaScript is on.

Every filing from the last five years, summarized. The full record is on SEC EDGAR.

Major holders

Investors who own more than 5% of the shares must tell the SEC: a 13D if they may seek to influence the company, a 13G if they hold passively.

Executive pay

What the company paid its top executives, from the summary compensation table in its proxy statement. Total pay includes salary, bonus, stock and option awards and other pay, as the company valued them.

YearExecutiveAgeSalaryTotal pay
2025Elizabeth Williams50$3.5M78
2025Ira Fils60$1.3M78
2025Maria Hollandsworth$1.2M78
2024Chief Executive Officer$4.7M78
2024Former President and Chief Operating Officer$2.1M78
2024Chief Financial Officer$1.4M78
2023Chief Financial Officer$1.4M78
2023Former President and Chief Operating Officer$983.4K78

Funding

Where the company's money came from, by calendar year: private offerings filed with the SEC, federal grants, loans, contracts and other assistance from USAspending.gov, and PPP loans from the SBA. Each bar links to the records below.

Money received by year$228.8K 2020–2020
Money received by yearMoney received by year, 2020–2020: $228.8K in all. PPP loans $228.8K.$0$100K$200K$300K2020 · PPP loans: $228.8K2020
Figures by year
YearPPP loansTotal
2020$228.8K$228.8K

PPP loans

Paycheck Protection Program loans of $150,000 and up, approved April 2020 to July 2021, from the SBA79. Matched to this company by name and state.

  1. Apr 14, 2020$228.8K PPP loan (first draw) from SMBC MANUBANK79To EL POLLO LOCO, Lake Forest CA; $230.3K forgiven Dec 15, 2020

Held by these funds

The largest holders among investment managers' 13F reports for the quarter ending Jun 30, 2026, the top 25 of 100. Change is in shares since the quarter before.

FundSharesValueShare of the fundChange
Biglari Capital Corp.3,777,400$64.1M5.4%−222,600
BlackRock, Inc.2,459,692$41.7M0.0%+175,467
Dimensional Fund Advisors LP2,049,479$34.8M0.0%+36,106
First Eagle Investment Management, LLC1,991,598$33.8M0.0%+1,416,305
Goldman Sachs Group Inc1,256,043$21.3M0.0%+164,924
Vanguard Capital Management LLC1,108,984$18.8M0.0%+18,790
Two Sigma Investments, LP906,685$15.4M0.0%+264,577
Geode Capital Management, LLC887,623$15.1M0.0%+219,907
Arrowstreet Capital, Limited Partnership729,890$12.4M0.0%+174,806
Hillsdale Investment Management Inc.656,096$11.1M0.3%+72,300
State Street Corp628,223$10.7M0.0%+21,915
Assenagon Asset Management S.A.603,010$10.2M0.0%+450,243
Biglari, Sardar489,247$8.3M13.3%No change
Monimus Capital Management, LP455,982$7.7M2.0%+17,713
Prudential Financial Inc449,926$7.6M0.0%−68,970
Bridgeway Capital Management, LLC428,716$7.3M0.1%+4,471
Archon Capital Management LLC420,690$7.1M2.9%+306,188
Renaissance Technologies LLC418,400$7.1M0.0%+112,200
Divisadero Street Capital Management, LP409,925$7.0M0.2%−22,370
Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management LLC371,373$6.3M0.0%−154,090
Rodgers Brothers Inc.352,300$6.0M0.6%−9,250
UBS Group AG336,592$5.7M0.0%+284,437
Morgan Stanley316,183$5.4M0.0%+133,478
Sei Investments Co296,440$5.0M0.0%−339,028
Qube Research & Technologies Ltd295,789$5.0M0.0%New

13F reports cover disclosed long positions in U.S. stocks only.

SEC filer profile

How El Pollo Loco is registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission, from its EDGAR record and the cover page of its latest annual report.

  • Name on EDGAREl Pollo Loco, Inc.2
  • CIK0001289729
  • Employer ID (EIN)33-03775272
  • Incorporated inDelaware2
  • Fiscal year endsDecember 312
  • Industry code (SIC)5812 Retail-Eating Places2
  • Business address3333 Michelson Drive, Suite 550, Irvine, CA 926122
  • Phone949-399-20852
  • On EDGAR sinceMay 14, 20042
  • Filings39 in all: 8-K (17), 10-Q (6), S-4/A (5), 424B3 (3), S-4 (3), 10-Q/A (2), EFFECT (2), 10-K (1)2
  • Latest filingsAnnual report (10-K) Mar 29, 2005
    Quarterly report (10-Q) Nov 10, 2005
    Latest 8-K (8-K) Jun 1, 2006

Sources

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