LOCO

EX-99.1

2 loco-ex99d1.htm

EX-99.1

Exhibit 99.1

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El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. Announces Third Quarter 2026 Financial Results

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Expects to Open 25-30 New Restaurants in 2027

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COSTA MESA, CA – November 5, 2026 – El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. (Nasdaq: LOCO) (the “Company”) today announced financial results for the 13-week period ended September 30, 2026.

Highlights for the third quarter ended September 30, 2026 compared to the third quarter ended September 24, 2025 were as follows:

·

Total revenue was $126.3 million compared to $121.5 million.

·

System-wide comparable restaurant sales(1) increased by 5.0%.

·

Income from operations was $10.2 million compared to $11.5 million.

·

Restaurant contribution(1) was $19.4 million, or 18.4% of company-operated restaurant revenue, compared to $18.5 million, or 18.3% of company-operated restaurant revenue.

·

Net income was $6.9 million, or $0.23 per diluted share, compared to net income of $7.4 million, or $0.25 per diluted share.

·

Adjusted net income(1) was $7.3 million, or $0.24 per diluted share, compared to $7.8 million, or $0.27 per diluted share.

·

Adjusted EBITDA(1) was $17.1 million, compared to $17.4 million.

(1)

System-wide comparable restaurant sales, restaurant contribution, adjusted net income and adjusted EBITDA are not presented in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”) and are defined under “Definitions of Non-GAAP and other Key Financial Measures” below. A reconciliation of these non-GAAP financial measures to the most directly comparable GAAP financial measure is included in the accompanying financial data. See also “Non-GAAP Financial Measures” below.

“We are thrilled to have delivered another strong quarter for El Pollo Loco. In addition to positive traffic growth, comparable sales were positive for the fourth straight quarter,” said Liz Williams, Chief Executive Officer of El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. “Our strategy continues to deliver results, our marketing and innovation brought fresh energy to the brand, while our quality, value and improved service delivered a better experience for our guests. As we look ahead, our goal remains the same: Build traffic that lasts, protect the margin discipline and strong unit economics we’ve built, and bring El Pollo Loco to new communities, one great restaurant at a time.”

Third Quarter 2026 Financial Results

Company-operated restaurant revenue in the third quarter of 2026 increased to $105.4 million, compared to $100.7 million in the third quarter of 2025, primarily due to an increase in company-operated comparable restaurant revenue of $4.3 million, or 4.4%, as well as $1.0 million of additional sales from the opening of three restaurants after the third quarter of 2025. This company-operated restaurant revenue increase was partially offset by a $0.3 million decrease in revenue resulting from the transfer of one company-operated restaurant to a franchisee in the second quarter of 2026. The company-operated comparable restaurant sales increase consisted of a 4.0% increase in average check size and a 0.3% increase in transactions.

1

Franchise revenue in the third quarter of 2026 decreased by 3.0% to $12.5 million from $12.9 million. The decrease was primarily due to a $0.6 million decrease in franchisee information technology (“IT”) pass-through revenue related to the franchise rollout of the new Point of Sale (“POS”) system completed in 2025 combined with a prior year true up of royalty rates. This decrease was partially offset by an increase in franchise revenue related to the 14 franchise-operated restaurant openings during or subsequent to the third quarter of 2025 and a franchise comparable restaurant sales increase of 5.3%. The franchise comparable restaurant sales increase consisted of a 4.4% increase in average check size and a 0.9% increase in transactions.

Income from operations in the third quarter of 2026 was $10.2 million, compared to $11.5 million in the third quarter of 2025. Restaurant contribution was $19.4 million, or 18.4% of company-operated restaurant revenue, compared to $18.5 million, or 18.3% of company-operated restaurant revenue in the third quarter of 2025. The increase in restaurant contribution margin was largely due to leverage on the 4.4% comparable store sales increase and higher menu prices, partially offset by higher utilities, repairs and maintenance, and higher third-party delivery service fees.

For the quarter ended September 30, 2026, general and administrative expenses increased $1.6 million, or 13.1%, from the comparable period in the prior year. The increase for the quarter was primarily due to a $0.8 million increase in incentive compensation and other labor related expenses, a $0.3 million increase in stock compensation, $0.2 million increase in restructuring and executive transition costs and a $0.5 million increase in other general and administrative expenses. These increases were

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EX-99.1

2 loco-20260507xex99d1.htm

EX-99.1

Exhibit 99.1

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El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. Announces First Quarter 2026 Financial Results

Raises 2026 Full-Year Outlook

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COSTA MESA, CA – May 7, 2026 – El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. (Nasdaq: LOCO) (the “Company”) today announced financial results for the 13-week period ended April 1, 2026.

Highlights for the first quarter ended April 1, 2026 compared to the first quarter ended March 26, 2025 were as follows:

●Total revenue was $126.2 million compared to $119.2 million.

●System-wide comparable restaurant sales(1) increased by 5.8%.

●Income from operations was $12.2 million compared to $9.0 million.

●Restaurant contribution(1) was $20.4 million, or 19.2% of company-operated restaurant revenue, compared to $15.8 million, or 16.0% of company-operated restaurant revenue.

●Net income was $8.2 million, or $0.27 per diluted share, compared to net income of $5.5 million, or $0.19 per diluted share.

●Adjusted net income(1) was $8.3 million, or $0.28 per diluted share, compared to $5.5 million, or $0.19 per diluted share.

●Adjusted EBITDA(1) was $18.2 million, compared to $13.9 million.

(1)System-wide comparable restaurant sales, restaurant contribution, adjusted net income and adjusted EBITDA are not presented in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”) and are defined under “Definitions of Non-GAAP and other Key Financial Measures” below. A reconciliation of these non-GAAP financial measures to the most directly comparable GAAP financial measure is included in the accompanying financial data. See also “Non-GAAP Financial Measures” below.

“We are proud of our first quarter results, including systemwide same-store sales growth of 5.8% and restaurant-level margin expansion of 320 basis points year-over-year. This performance reflects strength across multiple fronts, from our innovation pipeline - highlighted by the success of our Baja Double Tostadas - to the operational progress we are seeing across every key metric - including customer service, accuracy, and speed of service. It is this broad-based strength that  gives us the confidence to raise our comparable restaurant sales and Adjusted EBITDA guidance expectations for the full year,” said Liz Williams, Chief Executive Officer of El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. “As we enter the third year of our brand transformation journey, our goal is to drive sustainable traffic growth across our system while maintaining the margin discipline and unit economic improvements we’ve accomplished to date, and to thoughtfully grow El Pollo Loco across the country.”

First Quarter 2026 Financial Results

Company-operated restaurant revenue in the first quarter of 2026 increased to $105.9 million, compared to $98.4 million in the first quarter of 2025, primarily due to an increase in company-operated comparable restaurant revenue of $5.4 million, or 5.4%, as well as $0.7 million of additional sales from the opening of two restaurants since the first quarter of

2025. The comparable sales increase for company-operated restaurants consisted of a 5.7% increase in average check size, partially offset by a 0.3% decline in transactions.

Franchise revenue in the first quarter of 2026 decreased by 8.8% to $12.0 million from $13.2 million. The decrease was primarily due to $1.9 million in franchisee IT pass through revenue in the prior year related to the franchise rollout of the new Point of Sale (“POS”) system. This decrease was partially offset by the increase in franchise revenue related to 9 franchise-operated restaurant openings during or subsequent to the first quarter of 2025 and by a franchise comparable restaurant sales increase of 6.1%. The franchise comparable restaurant increase consisted of a 4.9% increase in average check size, combined with a 1.1% increase in transactions.

Income from operations in the first quarter of 2026 was $12.2 million, compared to $9.0 million in the first quarter of 2025. Restaurant contribution was $20.4 million, or 19.2% of company-operated restaurant revenue, compared to $15.8 million, or 16.0% of company-operated restaurant revenue in the first quarter of 2025. The increase in restaurant contribution margin was largely due to leverage on the 5.4% sales comparable store sales increase, improved operating efficiencies, and higher menu prices.

For the quarter ending April 1, 2026, general and administrative expenses increased $1.5 million, or 13.6%, from the comparable period in the prior year. The increase for the quarter was primarily due to a $0.6 million received from a legal settlement in the prior year, as well as increased legal fees, outside services, software maintenance and other general and administrative costs. These increases were partially offset by lower shareholder activism expenses.

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Net income for the first quarter of 2026 was $8.2 million, or $0.27 per diluted share, compared to net income of $5