Franchise opportunities compared
El Pollo Loco vs Pickleman’s Gourmet Cafe
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
- Both sets of figures come from 2026 FDDs.
- Item 19 figures cover the location groups each FDD names (El Pollo Loco: 34, Pickleman’s Gourmet Cafe: 16). Different groups are not directly comparable.
| Disclosure |  El Pollo Loco |  Pickleman’s Gourmet Cafe |
|---|---|---|
| Financial commitment | ||
| Estimated initial investment (Item 7) | $793,750 Total Estimated Initial Investment — low end 2026 FDD · Item 7 · PDF p. 33 | $646,000 – $1,112,750 Total initial investment for one Pickleman’s Gourmet Cafe — low estimate 2026 FDD · Item 7 · PDF p. 15 |
| Standard initial franchise fee (Item 5) | $40,000 2026 FDD · Item 5 · PDF p. 15 | $35,000 2026 FDD · Item 5 · PDF p. 11 |
| Royalty (Item 6) | Not available No reviewed royalty record | 6% Royalty percentage of gross sales 2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 12 |
| Brand / advertising fund (Item 6) | Not available No reviewed brand or advertising fund fee | 3% Advertising fee percentage of gross sales — 3% 2026 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 | 35 Outlets at end of 2025 2026 FDD · Item 20 · PDF p. 39 |
| Net outlet change (Item 20) | +16 Calculated: 990 at end of 2023 → 1,006 at end of 2025 | +6 Calculated: 29 at end of 2023 → 35 at end of 2025 |
| 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 | 2008 From a verified franchisor listing |
| 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 | Franchised (8 locations) — other measures — Quartile2 of31full-yearfranchises $1,456,404 other Quartile2 · 2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 36 Franchised (31 locations) — other measures and revenue $1,447,902 other Table1 Average · 2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 36 Franchised (27 locations) — other measures and revenue $1,435,041 other Table2 Average · 2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 36 +13 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.