El Pollo Loco Targets 18-20 New Restaurants in 2026, Enters 10th State with Idaho Opening
LOCO sits 88% above its 52-week low of $8.985.
Summary
El Pollo Loco announced the opening of its first restaurant in Idaho, marking its expansion into a 10th U.S. state. The company plans to open 18 to 20 new restaurants systemwide in 2026, nearly doubling its 2025 pace, with most openings outside California. This follows strong first-quarter financial results and a $40 million share repurchase program announced in May. The accelerated development pipeline and successful entry into new markets demonstrate execution on the company's growth strategy and expanding restaurant-level margins.
At the time of this announcement, LOCO was trading at $16.85 on NASDAQ in the Trade & Services sector, with a market capitalization of approximately $513.2M. The 52-week trading range was $8.99 to $17.00. This news item was assessed with positive market sentiment and an importance score of 7 out of 10. Source: GlobeNewswire.