--- title: "El Pollo Loco: search popularity in the United States" description: "El Pollo Loco is a fast food chain serving fire-grilled chicken and Mexican dishes. Branded searches tell you how often people look for a brand by name or related terms. Comparing these searches across competitors helps you see how popular each brand is over time." canonical: "https://gobrandwave.com/demand/us/brands/el-pollo-loco" publisher: "Brandwave" --- # El Pollo Loco: search popularity in the United States El Pollo Loco is a fast food chain serving fire-grilled chicken and Mexican dishes. Branded searches tell you how often people look for a brand by name or related terms. Comparing these searches across competitors helps you see how popular each brand is over time. ## Key facts - **Brand**: El Pollo Loco - **Market**: United States - **Measured month**: Sep 2026 - **Share of Search among mexican fast food chains**: 3.8% ## Where the brand sits | Competitive set | Rank | Share of Search | Estimated monthly branded searches | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Mexican fast food chains | 4 | 3.8% | 1M | - [Mexican fast food chains in the US](/demand/us/categories/us-mexican-fast-food-chains) ## Top mexican fast food chains in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews In three ChatGPT questions, El Pollo Loco did not appear in any of the three answers. Brands get a higher AI rank if they are mentioned earlier in the answers that list options. | Brand | AI rank | ChatGPT answers that named it | All answers that named it | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Chipotle Mexican Grill | 1st | 3 of 3 | 3 of 3 | | Del Taco | 2nd | 3 of 3 | 3 of 3 | | Taco Bell | 3rd | 3 of 3 | 3 of 3 | | QDOBA | 4th | 3 of 3 | 3 of 3 | | Freebirds World Burrito | 5th | 2 of 3 | 2 of 3 | | Torchy's Tacos | 6th | 2 of 3 | 2 of 3 | | Moe's Southwest Grill | 7th | 1 of 3 | 1 of 3 | | Taco John's | 8th | 1 of 3 | 1 of 3 | | El Pollo Loco | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 3 | ## Every AI answer about mexican fast food chains - Asked ChatGPT "Which Mexican fast food chain is the best in the US?": 1. Chipotle Mexican Grill, 2. Taco Bell, 3. Del Taco, 4. QDOBA, 5. Torchy's Tacos - Asked ChatGPT "What are the best burrito and taco chains in the US?": 1. Chipotle Mexican Grill, 2. Taco Bell, 3. QDOBA, 4. Del Taco, 5. Torchy's Tacos, 6. Moe's Southwest Grill, 7. Freebirds World Burrito, 8. Taco John's - Asked ChatGPT "Where can I get the best fast food burrito in the US?": 1. Del Taco, 2. Chipotle Mexican Grill, 3. Freebirds World Burrito, 4. QDOBA, 5. Taco Bell Not named in any answer: El Pollo Loco. Brands are listed in the order each answer named them. The answers were collected in United States on October 22, 2026. ## How has branded search demand for El Pollo Loco changed in the United States over the last 12 months? - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, estimated monthly branded searches for El Pollo Loco in the United States held steady at 1M. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, El Pollo Loco’s share of searches among mexican fast food chains in the United States peaked at 4% in July 2026 and was lowest at 2.9% in January 2026. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, El Pollo Loco rose from 5th to 4th among mexican fast food chains in the United States. ## How did search popularity change for United States mexican fast food chains in September 2026? - In September 2026, Taco Bell gained share of searches among mexican fast food chains in the United States, from 50.9% to 52.2%. - In September 2026, Chipotle Mexican Grill gained share of searches among mexican fast food chains in the United States, from 28% to 28.7%. - In September 2026, QDOBA lost share of searches among mexican fast food chains in the United States, from 6.9% to 5.8%. - In September 2026, Del Taco lost share of searches among mexican fast food chains in the United States, from 3.7% to 3.2%. - In September 2026, El Pollo Loco rose from 5th to 4th among mexican fast food chains in the United States. - In September 2026, Moe's Southwest Grill rose from 7th to 6th among mexican fast food chains in the United States. ## Historical estimated branded-search demand | Month | Competitive set | Estimated monthly branded searches | Share of Search | Rank | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Oct 2025 | Mexican fast food chains | 1M | 3.7% | 5 | | Nov 2025 | Mexican fast food chains | 823K | 3.1% | 5 | | Dec 2025 | Mexican fast food chains | 823K | 3% | 5 | | Jan 2026 | Mexican fast food chains | 823K | 2.9% | 5 | | Feb 2026 | Mexican fast food chains | 823K | 3.5% | 5 | | Mar 2026 | Mexican fast food chains | 1M | 3.5% | 5 | | Apr 2026 | Mexican fast food chains | 1M | 3.8% | 5 | | May 2026 | Mexican fast food chains | 1M | 3.7% | 5 | | Jun 2026 | Mexican fast food chains | 1M | 3.8% | 4 | | Jul 2026 | Mexican fast food chains | 1M | 4% | 5 | | Aug 2026 | Mexican fast food chains | 1M | 3.7% | 5 | | Sep 2026 | Mexican fast food chains | 1M | 3.8% | 4 | ## How are El Pollo Loco’s branded searches counted? Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using El Pollo Loco’s name. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for this branded term can be used to understand whether interest in the brand is growing, holding steady, or fading. - “el pollo loco” ## Which mexican fast food chains compete with El Pollo Loco? - [Taco Bell](/demand/us/brands/taco-bell): Head-to-head: /demand/us/compare/el-pollo-loco-vs-taco-bell - [Chipotle Mexican Grill](/demand/us/brands/chipotle): Head-to-head: /demand/us/compare/chipotle-vs-el-pollo-loco - [QDOBA](/demand/us/brands/qdoba): Head-to-head: /demand/us/compare/el-pollo-loco-vs-qdoba - [Del Taco](/demand/us/brands/del-taco): Head-to-head: /demand/us/compare/del-taco-vs-el-pollo-loco - [Moe's Southwest Grill](/demand/us/brands/moes-southwest-grill): Head-to-head: /demand/us/compare/el-pollo-loco-vs-moes-southwest-grill - [Torchy's Tacos](/demand/us/brands/torchys-tacos) - [Taco John's](/demand/us/brands/taco-johns) - [Freebirds World Burrito](/demand/us/brands/freebirds) ## Methodology - [How is the Brand Demand Index measured?](/demand/methodology): Where the figures come from, what they compare, and how they may be reused. ## Cite this page Brandwave. "El Pollo Loco: search popularity in the United States". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/us/brands/el-pollo-loco This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/us/brands/el-pollo-loco. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.