How much do lenders finance for a El Pollo Loco franchise?

The median SBA loan approved for a El Pollo Loco franchise is $643,750, with the middle 80% of loans between $236,800 and $2,000,000. That is the financed portion only - it excludes the buyer's equity injection, which SBA lenders typically require at 10% or more of total project cost for a business acquisition or new franchise unit.

Which lenders finance El Pollo Loco franchises?

By dollars approved, the most active SBA lenders for El Pollo Loco have been US Metro Bank, Summit State Bank, California Statewide Certified Development Corporation, BMO Bank. Many franchise brands also maintain their own lists of preferred lenders, which may differ from who has historically approved the most volume.

How long are El Pollo Loco SBA loans?

The median term is 10.3 yr. SBA 7(a) terms run up to 10 years for working capital and equipment, and up to 25 years when the loan is secured by real estate - so a longer median usually means the loans included property.

Franchise financing

Financing a El Pollo Loco franchise

SBA lenders have approved 36 loans against the El Pollo Loco brand since FY2010, totalling $30.9M. The median approval was $643,750. These are loans that actually closed - not projections from a disclosure document.

Rank by loan count

#619

of 1,651 brands

Loans approved

FY2010 onward

Median loan

$643,750

Typical range

$237K-$2.0M

Middle 80% of loans

Median term

10.3 yr

Charge-off rate

Cohort too small

Source: U.S. Small Business Administration, SBA 7(a) and 504 FOIA data, as of 2026-06-30. Approvals from FY2010 onward. How we calculate this.

Lenders

Who financed El Pollo Loco

Lender	Loans	Approved
US Metro Bank	8	$5.9M
Summit State Bank	2	$4.3M
California Statewide Certified Development Corporation	2	$2.9M
BMO Bank	1	$2.4M
Mountain West Small Business Finance	2	$2.0M
East West Bank	3	$1.8M
Enterprise Bank & Trust	1	$1.8M
First General Bank	1	$1.4M

Geography

Where El Pollo Loco units were financed

State	Loans	Share
California	24
Utah	3
Colorado	2
Washington	2
Texas	2
Nevada	1
Arizona	1
Idaho	1

Approvals by fiscal year

’10

’11

’12

’14

’15

’16

’17

’18

’20

’22

’24

’25

’26

Loan count by fiscal year - a rough proxy for how fast the brand was opening units. Final bar is a partial year.

Loan sizes

Under $50K
3%
$50K - $150K
3%
$150K - $350K
22%
$350K - $1M
42%
$1M - $2M
19%
Over $2M
11%

Financing a El Pollo Loco: common questions

How much do lenders finance for a El Pollo Loco franchise?: The median SBA loan approved for a El Pollo Loco franchise is $643,750, with the middle 80% of loans between $236,800 and $2,000,000. That is the financed portion only - it excludes the buyer's equity injection, which SBA lenders typically require at 10% or more of total project cost for a business acquisition or new franchise unit.
Which lenders finance El Pollo Loco franchises?: By dollars approved, the most active SBA lenders for El Pollo Loco have been US Metro Bank, Summit State Bank, California Statewide Certified Development Corporation, BMO Bank. Many franchise brands also maintain their own lists of preferred lenders, which may differ from who has historically approved the most volume.
How long are El Pollo Loco SBA loans?: The median term is 10.3 yr. SBA 7(a) terms run up to 10 years for working capital and equipment, and up to 25 years when the loan is secured by real estate - so a longer median usually means the loans included property.

Compare other brands

Median loan size and charge-off rate across every franchise in the SBA record.

How SBA 7(a) works

The programme most franchise buyers use, explained end to end.

Buying a franchise with an SBA loan

Equity injection, the franchise directory, and what lenders check.

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