El Pollo Loco is a limited-service restaurant chain built around citrus-marinated, fire-grilled chicken served at a price point between traditional QSR and fast-casual. The chain operates 503 domestic restaurants, heavily concentrated in California but expanding into Arizona, Nevada, Texas, Utah, Colorado, Washington, and Louisiana, plus 8 licensed locations in the Philippines. Of the 503 domestic locations, 175 are company-operated and 328 are franchised. Revenue comes primarily from company-operated restaurant sales (~83% of revenue) and franchise royalties (~11%). The company argues its in-restaurant cooking process — chicken marinated daily with a proprietary citrus blend, fire-grilled, and hand-chopped to order — differentiates it from competitors who rely on pre-made components. The menu splits between bone-in chicken meals (popular at dinner) and Mexican-inspired items like burritos, bowls, and tostadas (popular at lunch). Key unit economics drivers include poultry costs (the largest food input, with over 80% of purchases contracted at fixed prices), labor costs (pressured by California's QSR minimum wage increase to $20/hour in 2024), and same-store sales. Growth priorities include expanding the Loco Rewards loyalty program (5.3M members), growing digital and kiosk ordering (27% of system sales), accelerating new restaurant openings (franchise-led, targeting outside California), and improving restaurant contribution margins toward an 18%-20% long-term target from ~17.8% currently.