UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, DC 20549
FORM 8-K
CURRENT REPORT
Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934
Date of report (Date of earliest event reported): January 27, 2026
Commission File Number: 001-36556
El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc.
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter.)
| Delaware | 20-3563182 | |
| (State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization) |
(IRS Employer Identification No.) |
575 Anton Blvd Suite 1100, Costa Mesa, California 92626
(Address of principal executive offices)
714-599-5000
(Registrant's Telephone number)
Not Applicable
(Former Name or Former Address, if Changed Since Last Report)
Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions:
| ¨ | Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425) |
| ¨ | Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12) |
| ¨ | Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b)) |
| ¨ | Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c)) |
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:
| Title of each class | Trading Symbol(s) | Name of exchange on which registered | ||
| Common Stock, par value $0.01 per share | LOCO | The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC |
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an emerging growth company as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933 (17 CFR 230.405) or Rule 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (17 CFR 240.12b-2)
Emerging growth company ¨
If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ¨
Item 5.02 Departure of Directors or Certain Officers; Election of Directors; Appointment of Certain Officers; Compensatory Arrangements of Certain Officers
Departure of Directors
On January 27, 2026, Mark Buller provided his resignation from the Board of Directors (the “Board”) of El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. (the “Company”), effective as of February 28, 2026. Mr. Buller’s decision to resign was not due to any disagreement with the Company.
Appointment of Directors
On January 27, 2026, the Board, upon the recommendation of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee (the “Nominating Committee”) of the Board, appointed Frank Garrido to serve as an independent director of the Company, effective as of March 1, 2026.
The appointment of Mr. Garrido fills the vacancy on the Board that was created as a result of the departure of Mr. Buller. Upon recommendation of the Nominating Committee, the Board also appointed Mr. Garrido to serve on each of the Compensation Committee and Nominating and Governance Committee of the Board.
Mr. Garrido is the Executive Vice President – Chief Restaurant Officer of Domino’s Pizza, Inc., which he joined in 2017. In his role he is responsible for franchise and company operations, development, in-store technology, operations services and training. His extensive background across operations and restaurant leadership has driven strong domestic growth for the world’s largest pizza company. Prior to joining Domino’s, Mr. Wright held senior roles at Focus Brands and Edible Arrangements International.
Mr. Garrido will receive the same compensation as is paid to other non-employee directors of the Company and will enter into an indemnification agreement in substantially the same form as the other non-employee directors of the Company. Mr. Garrido is not party to any transaction that would require disclosure pursuant to Item 404(a) of Regulation S-K. There are no arrangements or understandings between Mr. Garrido and any other person pursuant to which he was elected as a director of the Company.
Item 7.01 Regulation FD Disclosure
On January 28, 2026, the Company issued a press release entitled “El Pollo Loco Appoints Frank Garrido to Board of Directors,” a copy of which is furnished as Exhibit 99.1 hereto.
Item 9.01 Financial Statements and Exhibits.
| Exhibit No. | Description | |
| 99.1 | Press release dated January 28, 2026 | |
| 104 | Cover Page Interactive Data File (embedded within the Inline XBRL document) |
SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.
| El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. | |||
| Date: January 28, 2026 | By: | /s/ Ira Fils | |
| Name: | Ira Fils | ||
| Title: | Chief Financial Officer | ||
Exhibit 99.1
El Pollo Loco Appoints Frank Garrido to Board of Directors
Operations leader latest addition to expanding chicken restaurant
COSTA MESA, CA. January 28, 2026–El Pollo Loco (NASDAQ: LOCO), the nation’s leading fire-grilled chicken restaurant, announced today the appointment of Frank Garrido as an independent member of its Board of Directors (“Board”), effective March 1, 2026. Mr. Garrido is Executive Vice President – Chief Restaurant Officer of Domino’s Pizza, the largest pizza company in the world.
“I am thrilled to have Frank join our Board,” said Liz Williams, CEO, El Pollo Loco. “We believe that his extensive restaurant operations experience will add significant value as we expand El Pollo Loco in our existing markets and across the country.”
Mr. Garrido joined Domino’s in 2017. In his role he is responsible for franchise and company operations, development, in-store technology, operations services and training. His extensive background across operations and restaurant leadership has driven strong domestic growth for the world’s largest pizza chain. Prior to joining Domino’s, Mr. Wright held senior roles at Focus Brands and Edible Arrangements International.
Mr. Garrido will fill the vacancy on the Board created by the departure of Mark Buller, who announced today his retirement from the Board, effective February 28, 2026. “We are thankful for the impact Mark had during his 10-year tenure on El Pollo Loco’s Board,” said Douglas Babb, Chairperson of the Board. “Mark’s leadership has helped the company significantly improve its restaurant operations.”
“I’m excited to welcome Frank as an independent director to the El Pollo Loco Board,” said Babb. “He has a proven track record of leading high-performing operations teams, as well as deep restaurant industry experience.”
“As we embark on the next chapter of growth for El Pollo Loco, the addition of Frank to our board reflects our ongoing commitment to maximize shareholder value,” said Williams. “I would like to thank Mark for his service, and welcome once again Frank Garrido.”
About El Pollo Loco
El Pollo Loco (Nasdaq: LOCO) is the nation's leading fire-grilled chicken restaurant known for its craveable, flavorful, and better-for-you offerings. Named by USA Today 10 Best Reader’s Choice Awards as a “Best Restaurant for Quick, Healthy Food” two years in a row, our menu features innovative meals with Mexican-inspired flavors made daily in our restaurants using quality ingredients. At El Pollo Loco, inclusivity is at the heart of our culture. Our community of over 4,000 employees reflects our commitment to creating a workplace where everyone has a seat at our table. Since opening our first U.S. restaurant in 1980, El Pollo Loco has expanded to more than 500 company-owned and franchised restaurants across Arizona, California, Colorado, Louisiana, Nevada, Texas, and Utah, with additional locations in development. The company has also extended its footprint internationally, with licensed restaurant locations in the Philippines. For more information or to place an order, visit the Loco Rewards app or ElPolloLoco.com. Follow us on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, or X.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties. All statements other than statements of historical fact included in this press release are forward-looking statements. These statements appear in a number of places throughout this press release and may include words such as “will,” “should,” “expect,” the negatives thereof and other words and terms of similar meaning in connection with any discussion of future events. All forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those that we expected.
While we believe that the assumptions underlying our forward-looking statements are reasonable, we caution that it is very difficult to predict the impact of known factors, and it is impossible for us to anticipate all factors that could affect our actual results. All forward-looking statements are expressly qualified in their entirety by these cautionary statements. You should evaluate all forward-looking statements made in this press release in the context of the risks and uncertainties that could cause outcomes to differ materially from our expectations. These factors include, but are not limited to: economic, social or business conditions that may affect the desire or ability of our customers to purchase our products; our ability to open new restaurants and compete successfully with other quick-service and fast casual restaurants; our ability to attract, develop, assimilate and retain employees; and the other risks set forth in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission from time to time, including under Item 1A, Risk Factors in our annual report on Form 10K for the year ended December 2024, as such risk factors may be amended, supplemented or superseded from time to time by other reports we file with the Securities and Exchange Commission, all of which are or will be available online at www.sec.gov.
We caution you that the important factors referenced above may not contain all of the factors that are important to you. In addition, we cannot assure you that we will realize the results or developments we expect or anticipate or, even if substantially realized, that they will result in the consequences we anticipate or affect us or our operations in the ways that we expect. The forward-looking statements included in this press release are made only as of the date hereof. We undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law. If we do update one or more forward-looking statements, no inference should be made that we will make additional updates with respect to those or other forward-looking statements. We qualify all of our forward-looking statements by these cautionary statements.
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