El Pollo Loco (LOCO) director receives 8,258-share restricted stock award

Rhea-AI Filing Summary

Taylor Joseph G reported acquisition or exercise transactions in this Form 4 filing.

El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. director Joseph G. Taylor reported an equity grant of 8,258 shares of common stock. The award was granted at no cash purchase price as a form of stock-based compensation and increased his direct holdings to 16,895 shares.

According to the footnote, these shares are underlying a restricted stock award granted under the company’s Equity Incentive Plan and are scheduled to vest in full on the first anniversary of the grant date. This represents a routine director compensation grant rather than an open‑market share purchase or sale.

Insights

Equity Compensation Analyst

Routine director equity grant with time-based vesting.

Director Joseph G. Taylor received 8,258 shares of El Pollo Loco common stock as a restricted stock award under the Equity Incentive Plan. The grant carries no cash exercise price and increases his direct ownership to 16,895 shares.

The footnote explains that the restricted shares vest in full on the first anniversary of the grant date, indicating straightforward, time-based vesting rather than performance conditions. This is typical board compensation and does not reflect an open-market view on valuation or timing.

Insider Trade Summary

1 transaction reported

Mixed 1 txn

Insider Taylor Joseph G

Role Director

Type	Security	Shares	Price	Value
Grant/Award	Common Stock	8,258	$0.00	--

Holdings After Transaction: Common Stock — 16,895 shares (Direct)

Footnotes (1)

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Form 4 Insider Transactions: What Each Field Means →

SEC Form 4

FORM 4

UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549

STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN BENEFICIAL OWNERSHIP

Filed pursuant to Section 16(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
or Section 30(h) of the Investment Company Act of 1940

OMB APPROVAL

OMB Number:			3235-0287
Estimated average burden
hours per response:			0.5

Check this box if no longer subject to Section 16. Form 4 or Form 5 obligations may continue. See Instruction 1(b).

Check this box to indicate that a transaction was made pursuant to a contract, instruction or written plan for the purchase or sale of equity securities of the issuer that is intended to satisfy the affirmative defense conditions of Rule 10b5-1(c). See Instruction 10.

1. Name and Address of Reporting Person^*

Taylor Joseph G

(Last) (First) (Middle)

C/O EL POLLO LOCO HOLDINGS. INC.

575 ANTON BLVD., SUITE 1100

(Street)

COSTA MESA CALIFORNIA 92626

(City) (State) (Zip)

UNITED STATES

(Country)

2. Issuer Name and Ticker or Trading Symbol
El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. [ LOCO ]

5. Relationship of Reporting Person(s) to Issuer
(Check all applicable)

X	Director		10% Owner
	Officer (give title below)		Other (specify below)

2a. Foreign Trading Symbol

3. Date of Earliest Transaction (Month/Day/Year)
03/17/2026

6. Individual or Joint/Group Filing (Check Applicable Line)

X	Form filed by One Reporting Person
	Form filed by More than One Reporting Person

4. If Amendment, Date of Original Filed (Month/Day/Year)

Table I - Non-Derivative Securities Acquired, Disposed of, or Beneficially Owned
1. Title of Security (Instr. 3)	2. Transaction Date (Month/Day/Year)	2A. Deemed Execution Date, if any (Month/Day/Year)	3. Transaction Code (Instr. 8)		4. Securities Acquired (A) or Disposed Of (D) (Instr. 3, 4 and 5)			5. Amount of Securities Beneficially Owned Following Reported Transaction(s) (Instr. 3 and 4)	6. Ownership Form: Direct (D) or Indirect (I) (Instr. 4)	7. Nature of Indirect Beneficial Ownership (Instr. 4)
			Code	V	Amount	(A) or (D)	Price
Common Stock	03/17/2026		A		8,258(1)	A	$0	16,895	D

Table II - Derivative Securities Acquired, Disposed of, or Beneficially Owned (e.g., puts, calls, warrants, options, convertible securities)
1. Title of Derivative Security (Instr. 3)	2. Conversion or Exercise Price of Derivative Security	3. Transaction Date (Month/Day/Year)	3A. Deemed Execution Date, if any (Month/Day/Year)	4. Transaction Code (Instr. 8)		5. Number of Derivative Securities Acquired (A) or Disposed of (D) (Instr. 3, 4 and 5)		6. Date Exercisable and Expiration Date (Month/Day/Year)		7. Title and Amount of Securities Underlying Derivative Security (Instr. 3 and 4)		8. Price of Derivative Security (Instr. 5)	9. Number of derivative Securities Beneficially Owned Following Reported Transaction(s) (Instr. 4)	10. Ownership Form: Direct (D) or Indirect (I) (Instr. 4)	11. Nature of Indirect Beneficial Ownership (Instr. 4)
				Code	V	(A)	(D)	Date Exercisable	Expiration Date	Title	Amount or Number of Shares

Explanation of Responses:

1. Represents shares of common stock underlying a restricted stock award granted under the Equity Incentive Plan, vesting in full on the first anniversary of the date of grant.

	/s/ Jason Weintraub, Attorney-in-Fact	03/19/2026
	** Signature of Reporting Person	Date
Reminder: Report on a separate line for each class of securities beneficially owned directly or indirectly.
* If the form is filed by more than one reporting person, see Instruction 4 (b)(v).
** Intentional misstatements or omissions of facts constitute Federal Criminal Violations See 18 U.S.C. 1001 and 15 U.S.C. 78ff(a).
Note: File three copies of this Form, one of which must be manually signed. If space is insufficient, see Instruction 6 for procedure.
Persons who respond to the collection of information contained in this form are not required to respond unless the form displays a currently valid OMB Number.
* Form 4: SEC 1474 (03-26)

FAQ

What insider transaction did El Pollo Loco (LOCO) director Joseph G. Taylor report?

Director Joseph G. Taylor reported receiving 8,258 shares of El Pollo Loco common stock as a restricted stock award. The grant is a stock-based compensation award, not an open-market purchase, and increased his direct holdings to 16,895 shares after the transaction.

Was the El Pollo Loco (LOCO) share grant to Joseph G. Taylor an open-market purchase?

No, the 8,258 shares reported by Joseph G. Taylor were granted as a restricted stock award with a price per share of $0.0000. This reflects equity compensation under the company’s incentive plan rather than an open-market buy or sell transaction by the director.

How many El Pollo Loco (LOCO) shares does Joseph G. Taylor hold after this Form 4?

After the reported restricted stock award, Joseph G. Taylor directly holds 16,895 shares of El Pollo Loco common stock. This total includes the 8,258 shares underlying the new restricted stock grant disclosed in the Form 4 insider transaction report.

How do the restricted shares granted to El Pollo Loco (LOCO) director Joseph G. Taylor vest?

The footnote states that the 8,258 restricted shares granted to Joseph G. Taylor vest in full on the first anniversary of the grant date. Until vesting, they are subject to the terms of El Pollo Loco’s Equity Incentive Plan and the underlying award agreement.

What does the zero price on Joseph G. Taylor’s El Pollo Loco (LOCO) grant indicate?

The reported price of $0.0000 per share shows the 8,258 shares were granted as compensation, not bought on the market. This is typical for restricted stock awards, which are issued under an equity incentive plan rather than acquired through a cash purchase.