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El Pollo Loco Holdings (LOCO) earnings and revenue breakdown
Latest: Q3 2026 · 10-Q filed Nov 6, 2026 · El Pollo Loco Holdings (LOCO) Q3 2026 earnings results →
Q3 2026 Revenue up 4% year over year to $126M · 5¢ of every $1 of revenue kept as net profit · operating margin 8.1%
El Pollo Loco Holdings made $126M in Q3 2026 (+4% Y/Y): Company-operated restaurant revenue $105M, Franchise revenue $12.5M, Franchise advertising fee revenue $8.4M. Operating margin 8.1%, net earnings $6.9M. See where every dollar goes — costs, profit and cash — as a Sankey from the 10-Q filed Nov 6, 2026.
Drawing the Sankey…
Open the interactive Sankey → click any line for what the company wrote about it, compare Y/Y and Q/Q, export as PNG or PDF
What changed this quarter
Revenue was $126.3M in Q3 2026, up 4% year over year and down 3% from the previous quarter. Company-operated restaurant revenue was the largest line at 83% of revenue. Company-operated restaurant revenue added $4.7M year over year (up 5%), 97% of the total change. Franchise revenue declined 3%.
Operating profit was $10.2M, a 8.1% margin (down 1.4 points year over year). Operating profit fell $1.3M even though revenue rose $4.8M versus Q3 2025, so costs grew faster than sales. Total costs grew 6% against revenue growth of 4%. The fastest-growing cost line was General & admin (+13%). Net earnings were $6.9M, down 7% year over year. The effective tax rate was 28.6%.
Operating cash flow was $7.9M (down 49% year over year), 114% of net earnings. Non-cash charges added back $4.6M of depreciation and amortization and $1.6M of share-based compensation. Working capital and other items used $5.3M. Capital expenditures of $7.4M left free cash flow of $506K.
Quarterly history
| Quarter | Form | Filed | Revenue | Y/Y | Op. margin | Net earnings | Op. cash flow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | 10-Q | Nov 6, 2026 | $126M | +4% | 8.1% | $6.9M | $7.9M |
| Q2 2026 | 10-Q | Aug 7, 2026 | $130M | +3% | 14.4% | $12.8M | $31.7M |
| Q1 2026 | 10-Q | May 8, 2026 | $126M | +6% | 9.7% | $8.2M | $13.0M |
| Q4 2025 | 10-K | Mar 13, 2026 | $124M | +8% | 8.3% | $6.5M | $13.9M |
| Q3 2025 | 10-Q | Oct 31, 2025 | $122M | +0.9% | 9.4% | $7.4M | $15.3M |
| Q2 2025 | 10-Q | Aug 1, 2025 | $126M | +3% | 9.0% | $7.1M | $14.1M |
| Q1 2025 | 10-Q | May 2, 2025 | $119M | +3% | 7.5% | $5.5M | $4.7M |
Charts
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💵Where each $1 goesinteractive
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🌏Named in Asian annual reportsinteractive
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🔄Rotation against the market and its industry (RRG)interactive
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🔍Earnings qualityinteractive
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⚖️Fair value by methodinteractive
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🔭Outlook & guidanceinteractive
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📈Investments: gains and what it boughtinteractive
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🏭Its industry’s money flow (input-output)interactive
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About El Pollo Loco Holdings
We opened our first location on Alvarado Street in Los Angeles, California, in 1980, and have grown our restaurant system to 503 domestic restaurants, comprised of 175 company-operated and 328 franchised restaurants as of December 31, 2025. Our restaurants are located principally in California, but also in Arizona, Nevada, Texas, Utah, Colorado, Washington and Louisiana. Additionally, as of December 31, 2025, we had 8 licensed restaurants in the Philippines. Our typical restaurant is a free-standing building with drive-thru service that ranges in size from 2,200 to 3,000 square feet with seating for approximately 50 to 70 people.
In its own words, from its 10-K, filed Mar 13, 2026.
El Pollo Loco Holdings against its Retail-Eating Places peers
The largest companies of the same SEC industry, each at its latest quarter. Revenue growth: +4% against the peers' median +5%. Operating margin: 8.1% against the peers' median 13.0%.
| Company | Quarter | Revenue | Y/Y | Op. margin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LOCO El Pollo Loco Holdings | Q3 2026 | $126M | +4% | 8.1% |
| MCD McDonald's | Q3 2026 | $7.2B | +1% | 50.2% |
| ARMK Aramark | Q3 FY26 | $5.1B | +9% | 4.3% |
| YUMC Yum China Holdings | Q3 2026 | $3.5B | +8% | 13.0% |
| CMG Chipotle Mexican Grill | Q3 2026 | $3.3B | +10% | 13.7% |
| DRI Darden Restaurants | Q1 FY27 | $3.2B | +5% | 10.0% |
| QSR Restaurant Brands International | Q3 2026 | $2.5B | +3% | 27.6% |
| YUM Yum Brands | Q3 2026 | $2.1B | +4% | 112.8% |
| TXRH Texas Roadhouse | Q3 2026 | $1.6B | +10% | 6.5% |
Source: El Pollo Loco Holdings 10-Q on SEC EDGAR · CIK 1606366 · Retail-Eating Places
Guidance and outlook
13F: who owns LOCO and who is buying
More on LOCO
- How El Pollo Loco Holdings makes money: revenue by segment
- El Pollo Loco Holdings next earnings date and what analysts expect
- El Pollo Loco Holdings stock forecast, price target and fair value
- Who owns El Pollo Loco Holdings stock: holders, funds and Congress trades
- El Pollo Loco Holdings guidance and outlook
History
Every quarter: Q3 2026 results · Q2 2026 results · Q1 2026 results · Q4 2025 results · Q3 2025 results · Q2 2025 results · Q1 2025 results
- El Pollo Loco Holdings guidance history: guided vs reported
- El Pollo Loco Holdings operating margin by quarter
- El Pollo Loco Holdings net income by quarter
- El Pollo Loco Holdings free cash flow by quarter
- El Pollo Loco Holdings capital expenditures by quarter
- El Pollo Loco Holdings Company-operated restaurant revenue revenue by quarter
- El Pollo Loco Holdings Franchise revenue revenue by quarter
- El Pollo Loco Holdings Franchise advertising fee revenue revenue by quarter