Is El Pollo Loco or Smashburger cheaper to open?

El Pollo Loco costs $793,750–$2,685,500 and Smashburger costs $1,239,500–$2,255,500 to open (FDD Item 7). El Pollo Loco has the lower entry cost.

Which is safer, El Pollo Loco or Smashburger?

SBA 7(a) charge-off rate is 6.5% for El Pollo Loco and 18.2% for Smashburger. Lower is safer, so El Pollo Loco has the stronger loan-repayment record.

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

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

El Pollo Loco vs Smashburger

Franchise Comparison 2026

Both El Pollo Loco and Smashburger are quick-service restaurants franchises. El Pollo Loco requires an investment of $794K – $2.7M while Smashburger requires $1.2M – $2.3M. El Pollo Loco discloses average revenue of $2.2M; Smashburger does not report Item 19 data. On SBA loan performance, El Pollo Loco has a lower charge-off rate (6.5%) compared to Smashburger (18.2%). FranchiseVerdict rates El Pollo Loco A (Strongest tier) and Smashburger C (Average).

Metric	El Pollo Loco	Smashburger
Verdict Grade	AStrongest tierStrongest tier	CAverageAverage
Investment Range	$794K – $2.7M	$1.2M – $2.3M
Franchise Fee	$40K	$40K
Royalty Rate	5.0%	5.5%
Average Revenue (Item 19)	$2.2M	N/A
SBA Charge-Off Rate	6.5% (61 loans)	18.2% (11 loans)
Total Units	503	194
Unit Growth (YoY)	N/A	N/A
Year Began Franchising	1980	2008
FDD Year	2026	2025