Franchise Facts Report → compare → El Pollo Loco vs Blaze Pizza
El Pollo Loco vs Blaze Pizza
Two quick-service restaurant franchises, compared on the numbers their own Franchise Disclosure Documents put on record — investment, fees, Item 19 earnings, outlet churn, and litigation. Not marketing copy.
| El Pollo Loco | Blaze Pizza | |
|---|---|---|
| Total initial investment FDD Item 7 | $793,750 – $2,685,500 | $596,900 – $1,087,500 |
| Initial franchise fee FDD Item 5 | $40,000 | — |
| Royalty FDD Item 6 | 5% | 3% |
| Item 19 earnings disclosed FDD Item 19 | Yes | Yes |
| Avg unit revenue (headline) FDD Item 19 | $5,576,651 | $1,319,981 |
| Franchised outlets FDD Item 20 | 325 | 283 |
| Net outlet change (latest yr) FDD Item 20 | +2 | -13 |
| Closure rate FDD Item 20 | — | 4.1% |
| Franchisee lawsuits FDD Item 3 | 2 | disclosed |
| Risk level our read | Medium | Medium |
| FDD year registration | 2024 | 2024 |
Are El Pollo Loco and Blaze Pizza the same company?
No — El Pollo Loco and Blaze Pizza are franchised by separate companies. El Pollo Loco's franchisor is EL POLLO LOCO INC; Blaze Pizza's is Blaze Pizza, LLC. Each registers and files its own Franchise Disclosure Document, and you would be signing with a different entity depending on which you chose. Note that a registry filing names the franchisor, not necessarily its ultimate parent — two brands owned by the same parent company can still have separate franchisors.
Cost to open
Blaze Pizza is the cheaper franchise to open: its FDD Item 7 puts the total initial investment at $596,900 – $1,087,500, against $793,750 – $2,685,500 for El Pollo Loco.
How much does each make? (Item 19)
Both franchisors make an Item 19 financial performance representation. On the headline average unit revenue each discloses, El Pollo Loco reports the higher figure ($5,576,651 vs $1,319,981). Revenue is not profit — the full report breaks out what each brand actually represents.
Closures & failure rate
El Pollo Loco reports 325 franchised outlets, net change +2 in the latest reported year (FDD Item 20). Blaze Pizza reports 283 franchised outlets, net change -13 in the latest reported year, a 4.1% closure rate (FDD Item 20). Outlet churn — closures, terminations, non-renewals — is the closest thing an FDD has to a failure rate; the full report puts both brands' churn against quick-service restaurant medians.
Litigation
El Pollo Loco discloses 2 franchisee-vs-franchisor proceedings in FDD Item 3. Blaze Pizza discloses litigation in FDD Item 3 (case detail in the full report).
This page is the headline numbers. The Deep report compares up to three brands on the complete FDD record — every fee line, the actual Item 19 figures and what they represent, each lawsuit, and churn benchmarked against quick-service restaurant peers.
Only looking at one of them?
El Pollo Loco vs Blaze Pizza — frequently asked
Are El Pollo Loco and Blaze Pizza the same company?
No — El Pollo Loco and Blaze Pizza are franchised by separate companies. El Pollo Loco's franchisor is EL POLLO LOCO INC; Blaze Pizza's is Blaze Pizza, LLC. Each registers and files its own Franchise Disclosure Document, and you would be signing with a different entity depending on which you chose. Note that a registry filing names the franchisor, not necessarily its ultimate parent — two brands owned by the same parent company can still have separate franchisors.
What is the difference between El Pollo Loco and Blaze Pizza?
El Pollo Loco and Blaze Pizza are quick-service restaurant franchises from different franchisors (EL POLLO LOCO INC and Blaze Pizza, LLC). Blaze Pizza is the cheaper franchise to open: its FDD Item 7 puts the total initial investment at $596,900 – $1,087,500, against $793,750 – $2,685,500 for El Pollo Loco. Both franchisors make an Item 19 financial performance representation. On the headline average unit revenue each discloses, El Pollo Loco reports the higher figure ($5,576,651 vs $1,319,981). Revenue is not profit — the full report breaks out what each brand actually represents.
Is El Pollo Loco more profitable than Blaze Pizza?
Both franchisors make an Item 19 financial performance representation. On the headline average unit revenue each discloses, El Pollo Loco reports the higher figure ($5,576,651 vs $1,319,981). Revenue is not profit — the full report breaks out what each brand actually represents.
Which is cheaper to open — El Pollo Loco or Blaze Pizza?
Blaze Pizza is the cheaper franchise to open: its FDD Item 7 puts the total initial investment at $596,900 – $1,087,500, against $793,750 – $2,685,500 for El Pollo Loco.
Is El Pollo Loco or Blaze Pizza growing faster?
El Pollo Loco reports 325 franchised outlets, net change +2 in the latest reported year (FDD Item 20). Blaze Pizza reports 283 franchised outlets, net change -13 in the latest reported year, a 4.1% closure rate (FDD Item 20).
Go deeper on each brand
Quick-service restaurant rankings
Figures are as disclosed in each brand's most recent registered FDD (El Pollo Loco 2024, Blaze Pizza 2024). “—” means the FDD does not disclose it or the table did not parse cleanly — never an estimate.