In nationwide push, El Pollo Loco makes its debut in Idaho

• Quick Service
• Franchising
• News

The opening in Meridian expands the fast-food chicken chain’s footprint to 10 states.

July 1, 2026

In January, El Pollo Loco CEO Liz Williams said the company was ready to “push across the country.” 

At the time, the chain was gearing up to enter its ninth state and had its sights set on a national footprint. This week it took another step toward that goal, entering state number 10 with its debut in Idaho.

The new restaurant, located in Meridian, reinforces El Pollo Loco’s “continued commitment to drive sustainable traffic growth and thoughtfully accelerate restaurant development in new markets,” Williams said in statement. 

“We have the brand power and economics that reinforce our path to national expansion.”  

The brand plans to open 18 to 20 new restaurants systemwide in 2026, which would nearly double its 2025 pace. A majority of those are planned outside of its home state of California. In addition to adding new states, which also include New Mexico and Washington, El Pollo Loco plans to double its presence in Denver and continue its expansion in Texas.

The Meridian restaurant is operated by a franchise group with more than 25 years of El Pollo Loco experience in California. A second Idaho location is scheduled to open in fall 2026, with three to four additional restaurants planned as the market develops. 

El Pollo Loco has experienced significant momentum recently, including a 5.8% increase in same-store sales in the first quarter, with restaurant margins up by 320 basis points, to 19.2%. During the company’s Q1 earnings call, CFO Ira Fils said the company is seeing volumes in new markets that “give us confidence that they make sense for us to continue to deploy capital and it makes sense for franchisees to deploy capital, and we expect to continue to grow in these markets.” According to Technomic, El Pollo Loco’s average unit volumes were about $2.25 million in 2025, outpacing most of its quick-service chicken category competitors. 

Contact Alicia Kelso at [email protected]

Follow her on TikTok: @aliciakelso 

About the Author

Alicia Kelso

Executive Editor, Nation's Restaurant News

Alicia Kelso is the executive editor of Nation's Restaurant News. She began covering the restaurant industry in 2010 for QSRweb.com, FastCasual.com, and PizzaMarketplace.com. When her son was born, she left the industry to pursue a role in higher education, but swiftly returned after realizing how much she missed the space. In filling that void, Alicia added a contributor role at Restaurant Dive and a senior contributor role at Forbes.
Her work has appeared in publications around the world, including Forbes Asia, NPR, Bloomberg, The Seattle Times, Crain's Chicago, Good Morning America, and Franchise Asia Magazine.
Alicia holds a degree in journalism from Bowling Green State University, where she competed on the women's swim team. In addition to cheering for the BGSU Falcons, Alicia is a rabid Michigan fan and will talk about college football with anyone willing to engage. She lives in Louisville, Kentucky, with her wife and son.

Follow her on TikTok @aliciakelso

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