El Pollo Loco (NASDAQ: LOCO) reported Q3 EPS of $0.18, $0.01 worse than the analyst estimate of $0.19. Revenue for the quarter came in at $95.8 million versus the consensus estimate of $97.25 million.

System-wide comparable restaurant sales grew 1.6%, including a 1.4% increase for company-operated restaurants, and a 1.8% increase for franchised restaurants

GUIDANCE:

El Pollo Loco sees FY2016 EPS of $0.67-$0.68, versus the consensus of $0.70.

Steve Sather, President and Chief Executive Officer of El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc., stated, “We continue to focus on the four pillars of our brand – great food, excellent service, a warm and inviting atmosphere, and a good price. This focus continues to strengthen our core business and has enabled us to achieve our 21st consecutive quarter of system wide comparable restaurant sales growth.”

Sather continued, “We remain on track to open 17-18 company-operated restaurants and 11-12 franchised restaurants in 2016, including approximately seven combined company and franchise restaurants in the Dallas area. Our development pipeline continues to strengthen as we seek to partner with high quality franchisees who are eager to expand our brand.”

For earnings history and earnings-related data on El Pollo Loco (LOCO) click here.