EL POLLO LOCO: how its 21 SBA loans actually performed
Limited-Service Restaurants · 21 units financed with SBA 7(a) loans since 2010 · 9 lenders have funded this brand.
No defaults on record
None of the 21 seasoned SBA loans to EL POLLO LOCO charged off within seven years — a 0.0% rate, against 5.7% across all SBA 7(a) loans.
How this brand compares
share of owners who defaulted within seven yearsWho lends on it
most active lenders, 2010 onward| Lender | Units funded |
|---|---|
| US Metro Bank | 7 |
| East West Bank | 3 |
| California Business Bank | 3 |
| Golden State Bank | 2 |
| Columbia Bank | 2 |
| Zions Bank, A Division of | 1 |
9 lenders have funded EL POLLO LOCO since 2010. Fewer active lenders means less competition on your rate.
A note on sample size
EL POLLO LOCO is a smaller-sample brand: 21 of its SBA loans are old enough to judge (our flagship brands have 60+). The default rate above is a real count, but read it as a signal rather than a verdict — with 21 loans, a handful of outcomes moves the number. We omit the year-by-year breakdowns shown on larger brands, which would be noisy at this size.
Common questions
How many EL POLLO LOCO SBA loans have defaulted?
0 of 21 seasoned EL POLLO LOCO SBA 7(a) loans charged off within seven years — a 0.0% default rate, against 5.7% across all SBA 7(a) loans.
Is a EL POLLO LOCO franchise a safe SBA loan bet?
By the numbers its default rate is below the SBA-wide 5.7% average. That is a financing signal, not a verdict on the business — and with 21 loans it is a smaller sample than our flagship brands.
Which lenders fund EL POLLO LOCO franchises?
9 lenders have made SBA loans to EL POLLO LOCO since 2010, led by US Metro Bank.