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    Franchise opportunities compared

    Donatos Pizza vs El Pollo Loco

    Reviewed figures from each brand's Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD), side by side. Each figure carries its FDD year and page. This is not a ranking or recommendation, and the two FDDs may cover different years and location groups.

    Donatos Pizza2026 FDDEl Pollo Loco2026 FDD

    Initial investment · Item 7

    Donatos Pizza

    $546,637 – $1,090,537

    2026 FDD · Item 7

    El Pollo Loco

    $793,750

    2026 FDD · Item 7 · PDF p. 33

    Initial franchise fee · Item 5

    Donatos Pizza

    Not available

    El Pollo Loco

    $40,000

    2026 FDD · Item 5 · PDF p. 15

    Royalty · Item 6

    Donatos Pizza

    Not available

    El Pollo Loco

    Not available

    Before you compare

    • Both sets of figures come from 2026 FDDs.
    • Donatos Pizza discloses more than one business format, so the investment range spans formats; the full report breaks them out.
    • Item 19 figures cover the location groups each FDD names (Donatos Pizza: 11, El Pollo Loco: 34). Different groups are not directly comparable.

    Financial commitment

    Estimated initial investment (Item 7)

    Donatos Pizza

    $546,637 – $1,090,537
    2026 FDD · Item 7

    El Pollo Loco

    $793,750
    Total Estimated Initial Investment — low end
    2026 FDD · Item 7 · PDF p. 33
    Standard initial franchise fee (Item 5)

    Donatos Pizza

    Not available
    No single standard fee identified

    El Pollo Loco

    $40,000
    2026 FDD · Item 5 · PDF p. 15
    Royalty (Item 6)

    Donatos Pizza

    Not available
    No reviewed royalty record

    El Pollo Loco

    Not available
    No reviewed royalty record
    Brand / advertising fund (Item 6)

    Donatos Pizza

    1%
    Nationalmarketingcurrent NetSales — 1%
    2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 18

    El Pollo Loco

    Not available
    No reviewed brand or advertising fund fee

    System scale & health

    Total outlets (Item 20)

    Donatos Pizza

    179
    Outlets at end of 2025
    2026 FDD · Item 20 · PDF p. 79

    El Pollo Loco

    503
    Outlets at end of 2025
    2026 FDD · Item 20 · PDF p. 91
    Net outlet change (Item 20)

    Donatos Pizza

    +52
    Calculated: 127 at end of 2023 → 179 at end of 2025

    El Pollo Loco

    +8
    Calculated: 495 at end of 2023 → 503 at end of 2025
    Outlet exits (Item 20)

    Donatos Pizza

    Not available
    No complete exit records for a year

    El Pollo Loco

    Not available
    No complete exit records for a year
    Franchising since (Item 1)

    Donatos Pizza

    1991
    From a verified franchisor listing

    El Pollo Loco

    Not available
    Not in reviewed records
    Franchisor founded (Item 1)

    Donatos Pizza

    Not available
    Not in reviewed records

    El Pollo Loco

    Not available
    Not in reviewed records

    Financial performance (Item 19), by location group

    Donatos Pizza
    Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — All covered
    $2,492,132
    other All covered High
    2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 73
    Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — Company-owned
    $2,384,141
    other Company-owned High
    2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 73
    Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — Franchise-owned
    $2,476,922
    other Franchise-owned High
    2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 74
    +8 more groups in the full report
    El Pollo Loco
    Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — Franchised Restaurants; Drive-Thru; Tier 3 Mid-low 26%-50%; United States; 2025…
    $1,878,181
    other Drive-Thru
    2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 87
    Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — Franchisor Restaurants; Drive-Thru; Tier 3 Mid-low 26%-50%; United States; 2025…
    $2,039,636
    other Drive-Thru
    2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 87
    Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — Franchised Restaurants; Drive-Thru; Tier 4 Lowest 25%; United States; 2025 fisc…
    $1,296,631
    other Drive-Thru
    2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 87
    +31 more groups in the full report

    Item 19 groups are shown separately and never combined. Revenue or sales figures are not profit. Net outlet change and turnover are Franopolis calculations from the disclosed counts; turnover is a count-based rate, not a measure of owner earnings.

    Donatos Pizza vs El Pollo Loco: common questions

    Which costs less to open, Donatos Pizza or El Pollo Loco?
    Donatos Pizza: $546,637 – $1,090,537 (2026 FDD · Item 7); El Pollo Loco: $793,750 (2026 FDD · Item 7 · PDF p. 33). These are each franchisor's Item 7 estimated initial investment. The low end of the disclosed estimate is lower for Donatos Pizza. At least one range spans several business formats. Estimates are not quotes, and the FDD years may differ.
    Which has more locations, Donatos Pizza or El Pollo Loco?
    Donatos Pizza: 179 (2026 FDD · Item 20 · PDF p. 79); El Pollo Loco: 503 (2026 FDD · Item 20 · PDF p. 91). Total outlets from Item 20. Outlet counts do not indicate territory availability or franchisee results.
    Do Donatos Pizza and El Pollo Loco disclose financial performance (Item 19)?
    Donatos Pizza has reviewed Item 19 figures for 11 location groups; El Pollo Loco has reviewed Item 19 figures for 34 location groups. Different location groups are not directly comparable, and revenue is not profit.

    Answers restate the reviewed figures above. Not a ranking or recommendation.

    How Franopolis reviews FDD figures

    Keep researching

    Full Donatos Pizza report

    Every reviewed fee, Item 19 group, outlet table and territory disclosure

    Full El Pollo Loco report

    Every reviewed fee, Item 19 group, outlet table and territory disclosure

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