El Pollo Loco Franchise Failure Rate
SBA 7(a) loan default data, FY2010–FY2019 · Updated 2026
El Pollo Loco franchisees defaulted on 0.0% of SBA 7(a) loans between FY2010 and FY2019 — 0 of 17 loans were charged off — according to U.S. Small Business Administration data. That is lower than the Limited-Service Restaurants industry average of 10.3%.
- 0.0%SBA default rate, small sample0 of 17 loans
- 17loans resolvedapproved FY2010–FY2019
- 10.3%Limited-Service Restaurants averageall SBA loans in the industry
- 1st lowestindustry rankof 81 Limited-Service Restaurants brands
| SBA default rate | 0.0% (small sample) |
|---|---|
| Loans approved | 17 |
| Loans charged off | 0 |
| Date range | FY2010–FY2019 |
| Industry | Limited-Service Restaurants |
| Industry average | 10.3% |
| Data source | U.S. SBA 7(a) FOIA loan data |
Most SBA default figures published online use loans approved since 2020 — loans that have had six years or less to fail — so those rates are floors, not outcomes. Every rate on this site is computed from the matured FY2010–FY2019 cohort: loans that have been paid in full or charged off, so the result is settled. Loans approved since 2020 are shown as counts so early charge-offs are visible without being mistaken for a rate.
Source: U.S. SBA FOIA dataset, statuses as of June 30, 2026. Figures also in the comparison table below.
None of the 17 El Pollo Loco SBA borrowers in the sample failed to repay — but 17 loans is too few to call a rate.
What is the El Pollo Loco franchise failure rate on SBA loans?
El Pollo Loco is a Limited-Service Restaurants franchise. This page reports the outcome of every SBA 7(a) loan the U.S. Small Business Administration's public FOIA file attributes to El Pollo Loco franchisees: 17 loans approved between fiscal 2010 and 2019, of which 0 were charged off. Loan statuses are as of June 30, 2026, and the cohort has matured, so these are settled outcomes rather than projections.
- SBA 7(a) loans approved FY2010–FY201917
- Charged off0
- Charge-off rate (small sample)0.0%
- Limited-Service Restaurants franchise benchmark10.3%
- All-franchise SBA benchmark10.2%
- Average loan size, 2010s cohort$432,506
- New SBA loans since 20207
- Early charge-offs since 20200
How does El Pollo Loco compare with other Limited-Service Restaurants franchises?
The table sets El Pollo Loco's charge-off rate beside its Limited-Service Restaurants peers and the two economy-wide benchmarks. All figures use the same cohort — SBA 7(a) loans approved FY2010–FY2019, statuses as of June 30, 2026 — and the same denominator of resolved loans, so they are directly comparable.
| Measure | El Pollo Loco | Limited-Service Restaurants | All franchises | All SBA borrowers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Default (charge-off) rate | 0.0% (small sample) | 10.3% | 10.2% | 8.0% |
| Loans in sample | 17 | — | — | — |
| Defaults | 0 | — | — | — |
| Average loan size | $432,506 | — | — | — |
What has El Pollo Loco SBA lending looked like since 2020?
Since 2020, El Pollo Loco franchisees have taken 7 new SBA 7(a) loans. None have charged off to date, though most remain outstanding and unresolved.
Loans approved since 2020, by fiscal year — counts only: 0 have charged off to date and most are still outstanding, so no rate is drawn.
Source: U.S. SBA FOIA dataset, statuses as of June 30, 2026.
Show the numbers behind this chart
| Fiscal year | Loans | Charged off | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| FY2010 | 2 | 0 | 0.0% |
| FY2012 | 1 | 0 | 0.0% |
| FY2015 | 7 | 0 | 0.0% |
| FY2016 | 4 | 0 | 0.0% |
| FY2017 | 2 | 0 | 0.0% |
| FY2018 | 1 | 0 | 0.0% |
| FY2020 | 1 | — | outstanding |
| FY2024 | 1 | — | outstanding |
| FY2025 | 1 | — | outstanding |
| FY2026 | 4 | — | outstanding |
How to read this
A charge-off means a franchisee borrowed, operated, and failed severely enough that the SBA wrote off the government-guaranteed loan. Unlike franchisor marketing or Item 19 disclosures, this is an observed outcome recorded by a federal agency. One caveat cuts the other way: SBA borrowers are typically less capitalized than all-cash buyers, so these rates can overstate risk for well-funded operators.
How reliable is this number?
El Pollo Loco's figure rests on 17 resolved SBA 7(a) loans approved between fiscal 2010 and 2019. That cohort has matured, so the count is a settled outcome, not a projection. With 17 resolved loans, one default moves the rate by about 5.9 percentage points. Loans approved since 2020 are excluded from the rate because most are still outstanding; they appear on this page as counts only. Every El Pollo Loco figure is recomputed from the public SBA FOIA file on each rebuild.
Small sample (17 loans). A single default moves this figure substantially.
Is El Pollo Loco in financial trouble? What the SBA data shows
El Pollo Loco's SBA 7(a) default rate was 0.0% for loans approved FY2010–FY2019 (0 of 17 loans charged off) — the lowest of 81 Limited-Service Restaurants brands tracked here. A default rate this far below the Limited-Service Restaurants average of 10.3% is not, on its own, a sign of distress. With only 17 loans in the sample, one default moves the rate by about 5.9 percentage points, so read it as a flag rather than a verdict.
Frequently asked
- What is El Pollo Loco's franchise failure rate?
- El Pollo Loco franchisees defaulted on 0.0% of SBA 7(a) loans between FY2010 and FY2019 — 0 of 17 loans were charged off — according to U.S. Small Business Administration data. That is lower than the Limited-Service Restaurants industry average of 10.3%.
- How does El Pollo Loco compare to other Limited-Service Restaurants franchises?
- El Pollo Loco's 0.0% SBA default rate is lower than the Limited-Service Restaurants industry average of 10.3%. See every Limited-Service Restaurants franchise ranked on the Limited-Service Restaurants industry page. Limited-Service Restaurants franchises →
- What does 'SBA default rate' mean?
- An SBA default rate is the share of SBA 7(a) loans, approved FY2010–FY2019 and since resolved (paid in full or charged off), that were charged off — written off after the borrower failed to repay. It is not a measure of unit closures.
Source
Source: U.S. Small Business Administration, 7(a) loan program charge-off data, FY2010–FY2019. Franchise data is matched on the SBA's franchise code / brand name. "Failure rate" here means the share of approved loans (resolved: paid in full or charged off) that were charged off; it is not a measure of unit closures. Last updated September 30, 2026.
Every brand in one table, with percentiles and breakdowns by year, industry and loan size: franchise SBA default rates, all 415 brands.
Cite this page
Franchise Default Rates (2026). El Pollo Loco franchise SBA 7(a) default rate, FY2010–FY2019 cohort: 0.0% (0 of 17 loans charged off). Derived from U.S. SBA FOIA data, loan statuses as of June 30, 2026.
https://franchisefailurerates.com/franchise/el-pollo-loco/ · Data & methodology · Download the dataset (CSV)