El Pollo Loco (NASDAQ: LOCO) reported Q3 EPS of $0.12, in-line with the analyst estimate of $0.12. Revenue for the quarter came in at $86.6 million versus the consensus estimate of $84.93 million.

System-wide comparable restaurant sales grew 7.9%, including a 6.4% increase for company-operated restaurants, and a 9.1% increase for franchised restaurants

Steve Sather, President and Chief Executive Officer of El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc., stated, "During the third quarter we once again demonstrated the strength of our business model through the combination of our strong comparable restaurant sales, which now includes 13 consecutive quarters of growth, and a solid increase in overall profitability. We believe the broad based appeal of our differentiated, value-oriented, faster fast casual restaurant concept continues to resonate well with our guests and positions us well for sustainable long-term growth."

"Looking ahead, we believe we have a large whitespace opportunity to grow our footprint by building density in existing markets and simultaneously expanding into select new markets located in contiguous states. We recently celebrated the opening of our first company operated restaurant in Houston and look forward to increasing our presence in the Greater Houston and San Antonio markets through both company and franchise development. Along these lines, in the third quarter we signed two development agreements calling for the development of 20 restaurants in those two markets over the next five years. We believe El Pollo Loco is well positioned for future growth and we are excited to bring our unique menu of freshly prepared Mexican-inspired entrees to an even wider audience, while creating value for our shareholders."

2014 Outlook

The Company currently anticipates the following for its fiscal year 2014 outlook:

• System-wide comparable restaurant sales growth of approximately 6.4% to 6.6% including a 5.4% to 5.6% increase for company-operated restaurants, compared to our previous guidance of system-wide comparable restaurant sales growth of approximately 5.5% to 6.0% including a 5.0% to 5.5% increase for company-operated restaurants;
• The opening of 10 to 11 new company-owned restaurants and 4 new franchised restaurants, compared to our previous guidance of 9 to 11 new company-owned restaurants and 4 new franchised restaurants; and
• Restaurant contribution margin of 21.4% to 21.6%.

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