Franchise opportunities compared
El Pollo Loco vs Erbert & Gerbert's
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.
Before you compare
- El Pollo Loco figures come from its 2026 FDD and Erbert & Gerbert's figures from its 2025 FDD, so the years differ.
- Erbert & Gerbert's 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 (El Pollo Loco: 34, Erbert & Gerbert's: 4). Different groups are not directly comparable.
| Disclosure |  El Pollo Loco | E&Erbert & Gerbert's |
|---|---|---|
| Financial commitment | ||
| Estimated initial investment (Item 7) | $793,750 Total Estimated Initial Investment — low end 2026 FDD · Item 7 · PDF p. 33 | $39,500 – $196,750 2025 FDD · Item 7 |
| Standard initial franchise fee (Item 5) | $40,000 2026 FDD · Item 5 · PDF p. 15 | Not available No single standard fee identified |
| Royalty (Item 6) | Not available No reviewed royalty record | $6.00 Royalty — traditional locations 2025 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 13 |
| Brand / advertising fund (Item 6) | Not available No reviewed brand or advertising fund fee | $750 Non-traditional initial advertising fee 2025 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 12 |
| System scale & health | ||
| Total outlets (Item 20) | 1,006 Outlets at end of 2025 2026 FDD · Item 20 · PDF p. 91 | Not available No reviewed outlet counts |
| Net outlet change (Item 20) | +16 Calculated: 990 at end of 2023 → 1,006 at end of 2025 | Not available Only one year reported |
| Outlet exits (Item 20) | Not available No complete exit records for a year | Not available No complete exit records for a year |
| Franchising since (Item 1) | Not available Not in reviewed records | Not available Not in reviewed records |
| Franchisor founded (Item 1) | Not available Not in reviewed records | Not available Not in reviewed records |
| Performance (Item 19) | ||
| Financial performance (Item 19), by location group | 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 | Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — Top Tier of 2024 Traditional Location franchised outlets open for all 12 months $686,544 other Top Tier · 2025 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 48 Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — Mid Tier of 2024 Traditional Location franchised outlets open for all 12 months 8 units other Mid Tier · 2025 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 48 Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — Lower Tier of 2024 Traditional Location franchised outlets open for all 12 mont… $364,433 other Lower Tier · 2025 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 48 +1 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.