A new El Pollo Loco is headed to Longmont, with the fire-grilled chicken chain eyeing a spot at 1743 Main Street. No opening date has been set for the location yet, leaving locals who've only been able to find the chain in the Denver metro area and Colorado Springs to keep waiting.
The Longmont plans were first reported by K99, which identified the Main Street address as the site of the chain's next Northern Colorado restaurant. The station's report did not list a timeline for construction or an opening, and no additional confirmation of the Longmont address or its status has surfaced elsewhere.
The move fits into a much larger expansion effort that El Pollo Loco set in motion back in 2023. According to El Pollo Loco's investor relations office, the company signed a development agreement with MEQ EPL that called for 10 new restaurants across Northern Colorado over eight years, covering Larimer County and parts of Boulder, Broomfield, and Weld Counties. At the time of that 2023 announcement, the company said it did not yet have any restaurants in those territories and that the first ones were due by December 2024.
A Chain on the Move Nationally
Longmont's potential new restaurant is just one piece of a much bigger growth story for the chain this year. In its third-quarter 2026 financial results, El Pollo Loco Holdings said it expects to open 25 to 30 new restaurants in 2027, after a 2026 that was projected to bring three to four company-operated locations and 15 to 16 franchise-operated ones, per the same release distributed through GlobeNewswire. The company also reported a 5.0% increase in system-wide comparable restaurant sales for the quarter ended September 30, 2026.
That growth lines up with earlier guidance reported by CNBC, which said El Pollo Loco was projecting 18 to 20 new locations by the end of 2026. CNBC also reported that the chain is pushing into entirely new territory, having signed three development agreements for a total of 15 restaurants in the New York area over the next five years, with its first New York City restaurant expected to open in Queens in mid-2027.
Already More Than 500 Restaurants Strong
El Pollo Loco currently operates more than 500 company-owned and franchised restaurants spread across 10 states, including Colorado, Arizona, California, Idaho, Louisiana, Nevada, New Mexico, Texas, Utah, and Washington, according to the Idaho Statesman. That newspaper also reported the chain's recent expansion into Idaho's Treasure Valley, where it opened its second area location at 209 1st Ave. South in Nampa.
The chain, whose name translates to “the crazy chicken,” traces its roots back to Guasave, Mexico, where it got its start in 1974. Within five years, it had grown to more than 85 restaurants across Mexico, and it opened its first United States location in Los Angeles in 1980. Known for fire-grilled, citrus-marinated chicken, the chain's menu includes items like the Original Pollo Bowl, the Chicken Avocado Burrito, and the Double Chicken Avocado Salad.
Whether Longmont residents will be biting into any of those dishes anytime soon remains an open question. For now, the Main Street address stands as the only confirmed detail in a story still waiting on a construction timeline or grand-opening date.
