El Pollo Loco’s latest opening in Meridian, Idaho marks the 10th and newest state the restaurant chain has expanded to.
The opening “reinforces our continued commitment to drive sustainable traffic growth and thoughtfully accelerate restaurant development in new markets,” Chief Executive Liz Williams said in a statement. “We have the brand power and economics that reinforce our path to national expansion.”
The Costa Mesa-based restaurant company has been on an expansion kick in the last two years, reaching 500 total locations last October. El Pollo Loco aims to nearly double its total openings from 2025, with plans to open 18 to 20 new restaurants systemwide in 2026.
Shares of El Pollo Loco ended Tuesday’s trading session up 2.6% to $16.96 apiece with a market cap of $516 million (Nasdaq: LOCO).
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