Is El Pollo Loco or Canteen cheaper to open?

El Pollo Loco costs $793,750–$2,685,500 and Canteen costs $1,404,750–$2,100,000 to open (FDD Item 7). El Pollo Loco has the lower entry cost.

Which is safer, El Pollo Loco or Canteen?

SBA 7(a) charge-off rate is 6.5% for El Pollo Loco and 0.0% for Canteen. Lower is safer, so Canteen has the stronger loan-repayment record.

Which is the better franchise, El Pollo Loco or Canteen?

FranchiseVerdict grades El Pollo Loco A and Canteen A, from FDD Items 5–7, 19–21 and SBA loan performance. See the full side-by-side above.

El Pollo Loco vs Canteen

Franchise Comparison 2026

Both El Pollo Loco and Canteen are quick-service restaurants franchises. El Pollo Loco requires an investment of $794K – $2.7M while Canteen requires $1.4M – $2.1M. El Pollo Loco discloses average revenue of $2.2M; no Item 19 revenue figure is on file for Canteen. Note: Reported as net sales, not gross sales. On SBA loan performance, Canteen has a lower charge-off rate (0.0%) compared to El Pollo Loco (6.5%). FranchiseVerdict rates El Pollo Loco A (Strongest tier) and Canteen A (Strongest tier).

Metric	El Pollo Loco	Canteen
Verdict Grade	AStrongest tier	AStrongest tier
Investment Range	$794K – $2.7M	$1.4M – $2.1M
Franchise Fee	$40K	$3K
Royalty Rate	5.0%	5.3%
Average Revenue (Item 19)	$2.2M	N/A
SBA Charge-Off Rate	6.5% (61 loans)	0.0% (11 loans)
Total Units	503	261
Unit Growth (YoY)	+3 units	-8 units
Year Began Franchising	1980	1996
FDD Year	2026	2025