How much does an El Pollo Loco franchise cost?
Opening an El Pollo Loco franchise takes a total initial investment of $793,750 to $2,685,500, according to the brand's 2026 Franchise Disclosure Document. The FDD's Item 19 reports median net sales per EPL restaurant of $2,063,270 across 319 outlets.
The FDD franchises El Pollo Loco Restaurants. Category: Food & Beverage.
Item 7
What it costs to open an El Pollo Loco franchise
The franchisor's own estimated initial investment, as disclosed in its 2026 FDD. The total is $793,750 to $2,685,500. Each line below carries the FDD page it was read from.
Where the money goes
The largest costs are Building Improvements ($248,250 to $980,000), Equipment, Fixtures and Furnishings ($200,000 to $570,000), and Site Improvements ($150,000 to $564,000). Together they make up about 79% of the high-end estimate.
Our arithmetic from the Item 7 table below.
| Expenditure | Low | High | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Fee2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 31 | $40,000 | $40,000 | 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 31 |
| Lease Payment2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 31 | $7,000 | $25,000 | 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 31 |
| Building Improvements2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 31 | $248,250 | $980,000 | 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 31 |
| Site Improvements2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 31 | $150,000 | $564,000 | 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 31 |
| Market Study and/ | $0 | $12,000 | 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 31 |
| Architectural Design & Engineering2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 31 | $20,000 | $110,000 | 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 31 |
| Equipment, Fixtures and Furnishings2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 31-32 | $200,000 | $570,000 | 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 31-32 |
| Computer-based cash control system and Restaurant management or “point of sale system”2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 32 | $15,000 | $70,000 | 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 32 |
| Training required for computer-based cash control system and Restaurant management or “point of sale system”2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 32 | $1,000 | $7,000 | 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 32 |
| Travel & Accommodation Expenses2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 32 | $2,000 | $25,000 | 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 32 |
| Opening Inventory and Supplies2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 32 | $20,000 | $25,000 | 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 32 |
| Signs (including Indoor Digital Menu Boards)2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 32 | $30,000 | $70,000 | 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 32 |
| Digital Communication Board2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 32 | $1,500 | $2,500 | 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 32 |
| Outdoor Order Confirmation Board2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 32 | $9,000 | $20,000 | 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 32 |
| Lease Security Deposits2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 32 | $5,000 | $10,000 | 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 32 |
| Insurance2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 32 | $10,000 | $20,000 | 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 32 |
| Grand Opening Fee2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 32 | $5,000 | $5,000 | 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 32 |
| New Restaurant Opening Support2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 32 | $5,000 | $30,000 | 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 32 |
| Additional Funds – 3 months2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 32-33 | $25,000 | $100,000 | 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 32-33 |
| Total estimated initial investment2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 31-33 | $793,750 | $2,685,500 | 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 31-33 |
Source El Pollo Loco, 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 31-33, via Public FDD bucket (storage.googleapis.com/franchiseindx_fdds) (source record). Figures read and verified 2026-10-28.
Item 19
What El Pollo Loco franchisees actually report earning
Median Net Sales Per EPL Restaurant
$2,063,270
El Pollo Loco's 2026 FDD, Item 19, for the entire 2025 fiscal year, which started on December 26, 2024 and ended on December 31, 2025. Basis: The 319 Franchised Restaurants in the 2025 reporting group. The FDD reports its 172 Franchisor Restaurants ($2,318,245 average, $2,212,548 median) and the combined 491 EPL Restaurants ($2,236,257 average, $2,099,233 median) in separate columns of the same table, which its own note says are calculated independently of each other.
Sample size: 319 outlets. The FDD also reports average net sales per EPL restaurant of $2,192,050. We lead with the median because an average is pulled upward by the strongest outlets; the median is the middle outlet.
What the franchisor excluded from this figure
- The reporting group excludes EPL Restaurants that were temporarily closed for seven or more days.
- The reporting group excludes EPL Restaurants that initially opened during the 2025 fiscal year.
- The reporting group excludes EPL Restaurants that closed permanently during the 2025 fiscal year.
- The reporting group excludes EPL Restaurants transferred in a transfer between us and a Franchisee during the 2025 fiscal year.
- The reporting group includes Franchised Restaurants transferred during a 2025 franchisee-to-franchisee transfer.
This is a disclosure of what some existing outlets reported, not a projection of what a new El Pollo Loco outlet would earn. Your results will differ.
Source El Pollo Loco, 2026 FDD, Item 19, p. 85-90, via Public FDD bucket (storage.googleapis.com/franchiseindx_fdds) (source record). Figures read and verified 2026-10-28.
Item 20
How many El Pollo Loco outlets there are, and how many closed
El Pollo Loco ended 2025 with 328 franchised outlets and 175 company-owned outlets. In that year 11 franchised outlets opened and 8 left the system.
Three years at a glance
From 2023 through 2025, El Pollo Loco opened 35 franchised outlets and 9 outlets left the system. That is a net gain of 26, from 302 to 328 franchised outlets. Of the outlets that left, 1 was terminated, 6 were not renewed, 1 was bought back by the franchisor, and 1 closed for other reasons.
On average, about 0.9% of franchised outlets left the system each year, roughly 1 in 106.
Our arithmetic from the FDD's Item 20 table below. "Left the system" counts every outlet the franchisor reports as terminated, not renewed, bought back, or closed for other reasons.
| Year | Start | Opened | Terminated | Non-renewed | Reacquired | Ceased, other | End | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 325 | 11 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 328 | 2026 FDD, Item 20, p. 92 |
| 2024 | 323 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 325 | 2026 FDD, Item 20, p. 92 |
| 2023 | 302 | 21 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 323 | 2026 FDD, Item 20, p. 92 |
Source El Pollo Loco, 2026 FDD, Item 20, p. 91-93, via Public FDD bucket (storage.googleapis.com/franchiseindx_fdds) (source record). Figures read and verified 2026-10-28.
Compare
How El Pollo Loco compares with other Food & Beverage franchises
Measured against the 256 Food & Beverage franchises on this site, using each brand's own FDD.
- Cost to open. The middle of El Pollo Loco's estimated range is $1,739,625. It costs more to open than 86% of Food & Beverage franchises here.
- Outlets leaving each year. 0.9% for El Pollo Loco. That is lower than 94% of the 165 Food & Beverage franchises with at least 10 outlets.
- Three-year growth. El Pollo Loco's franchised system grew 8.6%. The typical Food & Beverage franchise here grew 4.4%.
- Earnings disclosure. 152 of the 256 Food & Beverage franchises here publish earnings figures in Item 19. El Pollo Loco is one of them.
Our arithmetic from each brand's Item 7 and Item 20. Growth and departure comparisons leave out brands with fewer than 10 outlets, where one opening or closure distorts the figures. See every Food & Beverage franchise side by side.
Alert me when El Pollo Loco files a new FDD
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