El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc.

El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. operates a chain of over 480 restaurants whose core menu item is flame-grilled chicken. The company's business model is fundamentally built on the commercial production and sale of chicken meat, a form of animal exploitation. In its public disclosures, the company acknowledges it could face criticism from animal rights and welfare groups and that changing its practices in response could increase operational costs.

The company has faced direct regulatory action related to its chicken supply chain. In 2012, a California slaughterhouse supplying El Pollo Loco was barred from federal food programs following animal abuse allegations. While the company notes it is subject to risks from food safety or animal welfare publicity at its restaurants, there is no public evidence of a company-wide commitment to reform its sourcing practices or to transition its business model away from animal products.