vs
Side-by-side financial comparison of El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. (LOCO) and NOODLES & Co (NDLS). Click either name above to swap in a different company.
El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. is the larger business by last-quarter revenue ($123.5M vs $122.1M, roughly 1.0× NOODLES & Co). El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. runs the higher net margin — 5.3% vs -7.5%, a 12.8% gap on every dollar of revenue. On growth, El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. posted the faster year-over-year revenue change (8.1% vs -4.1%). El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. produced more free cash flow last quarter ($5.1M vs $-2.8M). Over the past eight quarters, El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc.'s revenue compounded faster (3.1% CAGR vs -1.2%).
El Pollo Loco, Inc., is a restaurant chain based in the United States, specializing in Mexican-style grilled chicken. Restaurant service consists of dine-in and take-out, with some locations offering drive-through options. The company is headquartered in Costa Mesa, California, and operates about 500 company-owned and franchised restaurants in the Southwestern United States.
Noodles & Company is an American fast-casual restaurant that offers international and American noodle dishes in addition to soups and salads. Noodles & Company was founded in 1995 by Aaron Kennedy and is headquartered in Broomfield, Colorado. The company went public in 2013 and recorded a $457 million revenue in 2017. In mid-2022, there were 458 Noodles & Company locations across 31 states.
LOCO vs NDLS — Head-to-Head
Income Statement — Q4 FY2025 vs Q3 FY2025
| Metric | | |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue | $123.5M | $122.1M |
| Net Profit | $6.5M | $-9.2M |
| Gross Margin | — | — |
| Operating Margin | 8.3% | -5.2% |
| Net Margin | 5.3% | -7.5% |
| Revenue YoY | 8.1% | -4.1% |
| Net Profit YoY | 9.9% | 32.8% |
| EPS (diluted) | $0.22 | $-0.20 |
Green = leading value per metric. Periods may differ when fiscal calendars don't align.
8-Quarter Revenue & Profit Trend
Side-by-side quarterly history. Quarters aligned by calendar period so offset fiscal years line up.
| Q4 25 | $123.5M | — | ||
| Q3 25 | $121.5M | $122.1M | ||
| Q2 25 | $125.8M | $123.8M | ||
| Q1 25 | $119.2M | — | ||
| Q4 24 | $114.3M | $122.8M | ||
| Q3 24 | $120.4M | $127.4M | ||
| Q2 24 | $122.2M | $121.4M | ||
| Q1 24 | $116.2M | $124.3M |
| Q4 25 | $6.5M | — | ||
| Q3 25 | $7.4M | $-9.2M | ||
| Q2 25 | $7.1M | $-9.1M | ||
| Q1 25 | $5.5M | — | ||
| Q4 24 | $6.0M | $-6.8M | ||
| Q3 24 | $6.2M | $-13.6M | ||
| Q2 24 | $7.6M | $-6.1M | ||
| Q1 24 | $5.9M | $-6.1M |
| Q4 25 | 8.3% | — | ||
| Q3 25 | 9.4% | -5.2% | ||
| Q2 25 | 9.0% | -5.2% | ||
| Q1 25 | 7.5% | — | ||
| Q4 24 | 7.9% | -3.9% | ||
| Q3 24 | 8.4% | -9.0% | ||
| Q2 24 | 10.1% | -3.4% | ||
| Q1 24 | 8.3% | -3.7% |
| Q4 25 | 5.3% | — | ||
| Q3 25 | 6.1% | -7.5% | ||
| Q2 25 | 5.6% | -7.3% | ||
| Q1 25 | 4.6% | — | ||
| Q4 24 | 5.2% | -5.5% | ||
| Q3 24 | 5.1% | -10.7% | ||
| Q2 24 | 6.2% | -5.1% | ||
| Q1 24 | 5.1% | -4.9% |
| Q4 25 | $0.22 | — | ||
| Q3 25 | $0.25 | $-0.20 | ||
| Q2 25 | $0.24 | $-0.20 | ||
| Q1 25 | $0.19 | — | ||
| Q4 24 | $0.21 | $-0.15 | ||
| Q3 24 | $0.21 | $-0.30 | ||
| Q2 24 | $0.25 | $-0.14 | ||
| Q1 24 | $0.19 | $-1.64 |
Balance Sheet & Financial Strength
Snapshot of each company's liquidity, leverage and book value from the latest quarter.
| Metric | | |
|---|---|---|
| Cash + ST InvestmentsLiquidity on hand | $6.2M | $4.7M |
| Total DebtLower is stronger | $51.0M | — |
| Stockholders' EquityBook value | $291.1M | $-38.9M |
| Total Assets | $606.6M | $280.6M |
| Debt / EquityLower = less leverage | 0.18× | — |
8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.
| Q4 25 | $6.2M | — | ||
| Q3 25 | $10.9M | $4.7M | ||
| Q2 25 | $9.0M | $1.4M | ||
| Q1 25 | $4.3M | — | ||
| Q4 24 | $2.5M | $3.3M | ||
| Q3 24 | $7.9M | $1.8M | ||
| Q2 24 | $10.5M | $1.3M | ||
| Q1 24 | $9.1M | $3.0M |
| Q4 25 | $51.0M | — | ||
| Q3 25 | $61.0M | — | ||
| Q2 25 | $69.0M | — | ||
| Q1 25 | $73.0M | — | ||
| Q4 24 | $71.0M | — | ||
| Q3 24 | $76.0M | — | ||
| Q2 24 | $87.0M | — | ||
| Q1 24 | $80.0M | — |
| Q4 25 | $291.1M | — | ||
| Q3 25 | $282.9M | $-38.9M | ||
| Q2 25 | $274.2M | $-13.9M | ||
| Q1 25 | $265.7M | — | ||
| Q4 24 | $260.7M | $3.7M | ||
| Q3 24 | $255.2M | $9.6M | ||
| Q2 24 | $248.6M | $21.9M | ||
| Q1 24 | $256.3M | $27.2M |
| Q4 25 | $606.6M | — | ||
| Q3 25 | $602.7M | $280.6M | ||
| Q2 25 | $596.8M | $319.4M | ||
| Q1 25 | $590.5M | — | ||
| Q4 24 | $592.0M | $340.5M | ||
| Q3 24 | $590.0M | $346.3M | ||
| Q2 24 | $593.8M | $360.4M | ||
| Q1 24 | $598.0M | $368.1M |
| Q4 25 | 0.18× | — | ||
| Q3 25 | 0.22× | — | ||
| Q2 25 | 0.25× | — | ||
| Q1 25 | 0.27× | — | ||
| Q4 24 | 0.27× | — | ||
| Q3 24 | 0.30× | — | ||
| Q2 24 | 0.35× | — | ||
| Q1 24 | 0.31× | — |
Cash Flow & Capital Efficiency
How much cash each business actually produces after reinvestment. Cash flow is harder to manipulate than net income.
| Metric | | |
|---|---|---|
| Operating Cash FlowLast quarter | $13.9M | $4.3M |
| Free Cash FlowOCF − Capex | $5.1M | $-2.8M |
| FCF MarginFCF / Revenue | 4.1% | -2.3% |
| Capex IntensityCapex / Revenue | 7.1% | 5.8% |
| Cash ConversionOCF / Net Profit | 2.13× | — |
| TTM Free Cash FlowTrailing 4 quarters | $25.4M | $-7.5M |
8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.
| Q4 25 | $13.9M | — | ||
| Q3 25 | $15.3M | $4.3M | ||
| Q2 25 | $14.1M | $4.0M | ||
| Q1 25 | $4.7M | — | ||
| Q4 24 | $5.6M | $5.8M | ||
| Q3 24 | $13.0M | $4.7M | ||
| Q2 24 | $17.0M | $7.0M | ||
| Q1 24 | $11.2M | $164.0K |
| Q4 25 | $5.1M | — | ||
| Q3 25 | $9.9M | $-2.8M | ||
| Q2 25 | $9.1M | $1.1M | ||
| Q1 25 | $1.3M | — | ||
| Q4 24 | $1.1M | $-1.3M | ||
| Q3 24 | $9.1M | $-4.5M | ||
| Q2 24 | $10.4M | $-1.6M | ||
| Q1 24 | $7.0M | $-15.2M |
| Q4 25 | 4.1% | — | ||
| Q3 25 | 8.2% | -2.3% | ||
| Q2 25 | 7.2% | 0.9% | ||
| Q1 25 | 1.1% | — | ||
| Q4 24 | 1.0% | -1.1% | ||
| Q3 24 | 7.6% | -3.5% | ||
| Q2 24 | 8.5% | -1.4% | ||
| Q1 24 | 6.0% | -12.2% |
| Q4 25 | 7.1% | — | ||
| Q3 25 | 4.4% | 5.8% | ||
| Q2 25 | 4.0% | 2.4% | ||
| Q1 25 | 2.8% | — | ||
| Q4 24 | 3.9% | 5.8% | ||
| Q3 24 | 3.2% | 7.2% | ||
| Q2 24 | 5.3% | 7.1% | ||
| Q1 24 | 3.6% | 12.3% |
| Q4 25 | 2.13× | — | ||
| Q3 25 | 2.08× | — | ||
| Q2 25 | 1.99× | — | ||
| Q1 25 | 0.86× | — | ||
| Q4 24 | 0.95× | — | ||
| Q3 24 | 2.11× | — | ||
| Q2 24 | 2.22× | — | ||
| Q1 24 | 1.89× | — |
Financial Flow Comparison
Revenue → gross profit → operating profit → net profit for each company.
Revenue Breakdown by Segment
LOCO
| Services | $102.4M | 83% |
| Franchise | $13.0M | 11% |
| Franchise Advertising Fee | $8.1M | 7% |
NDLS
| Food And Beverage | $119.6M | 98% |
| Franchise | $2.5M | 2% |
