X0202 SCHEDULE 13D/A 0000921895-25-000155 0001334429 XXXXXXXX LIVE 2 Common Stock, par value $0.01 per share 06/30/2026 true 0001606366 268603107 El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc.

575 ANTON BLVD STE 1100 COSTA MESA CA 92626

Sardar Biglari 210-344-3400 Biglari Capital Corp. 19100 Ridgewood Pkwy, Suite 1200 San Antonio TX 78259 Michael Neidell, Esq. 212-451-2300 Olshan Frome Wolosky LLP 1325 Avenue of the Americas New York NY 10019 0001334430 N BIGLARI, SARDAR AF N X1 4124701.00 0.00 4124701.00 0.00 4124701.00 N 13.5 IN 0001334429 N BIGLARI CAPITAL CORP. AF N TX 3635454.00 0.00 3635454.00 0.00 3635454.00 N 11.9 OO 0001580602 N LION FUND II, L.P. WC N DE 3635454.00 0.00 3635454.00 0.00 3635454.00 N 11.9 PN Y First Guard Insurance Company WC N AZ 120000.00 0.00 120000.00 0.00 120000.00 N 0.4 IC 0002035328 N Biglari Reinsurance Ltd. WC OO N D0 489247.00 0.00 489247.00 0.00 489247.00 N 1.6 CO 0002034968 N Biglari Insurance Group Inc. OO N DE 489247.00 0.00 489247.00 0.00 489247.00 N 1.6 CO 0001726173 N Biglari Holdings Inc. OO N IN 489247.00 0.00 489247.00 0.00 489247.00 N 1.6 CO Common Stock, par value $0.01 per share El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. 575 ANTON BLVD STE 1100 COSTA MESA CA 92626 Item 3 is hereby amended and restated to read as follows: The aggregate purchase price of the 3,635,454 Shares owned directly by The Lion Fund II is approximately $35,964,823. The Shares purchased by The Lion Fund II were purchased with working capital (which may, at any given time, include margin loans made by brokerage firms in the ordinary course of business) in open market purchases, except as otherwise noted. The aggregate purchase price of the 120,000 Shares owned directly by First Guard is approximately $1,223,056. The Shares purchased by First Guard were purchased with working capital (which may, at any given time, include margin loans made by brokerage firms in the ordinary course of business) in open market purchases, except as otherwise noted. The aggregate purchase price of the 369,247 Shares owned directly by Biglari Reinsurance is approximately $4,861,578. The Shares purchased by Biglari Reinsurance were purchased with working capital (which may, at any given time, include margin loans made by brokerage firms in the ordinary course of business) in open market purchases, except as otherwise noted. Item 5(a) is hereby amended and restated to read as follows: The aggregate percentage of Shares reported owned by the Reporting Persons is based upon 30,455,298 Shares outstanding as of May 1, 2026, which is the total number of Shares outstanding as reported in the Issuer's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on May 8, 2026. As of the close of business on July 2, 2026, The Lion Fund II owned directly 3,635,454 Shares, constituting approximately 11.9% of the Shares outstanding. By virtue of their relationships with The Lion Fund II, each of Sardar Biglari and BCC may be deemed to beneficially own the Shares owned by The Lion Fund II. As of the close of business on July 2, 2026, First Guard owned directly 120,000 Shares, constituting less than 1% of the Shares outstanding. By virtue of their relationships with First Guard, each of Sardar Biglari, Biglari Reinsurance, Biglari Insurance, and Biglari Holdings may be deemed to beneficially own the Shares owned directly by First Guard. As of the close of business on July 2, 2026, Biglari Reinsurance owned directly 369,247 Shares, constituting approximately 1.2% of the Shares outstanding, and together with the 120,000 Shares owned directly by First Guard, constituting approximately 1.6% of the Shares outstanding. By virtue of their relationships with Biglari Reinsurance, each of Sardar Biglari, Biglari Insurance, and Biglari Holdings may be deemed to beneficially own the Shares owned directly by Biglari Reinsurance. An aggregate of 4,124,701 Shares, constituting approximately 13.5% of the Shares outstanding, are reported by the Reporting Persons in this statement. The filing of this Schedule 13D shall not be deemed an admission that any of the Reporting Persons is, for purposes of Section 13(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, the beneficial owner of any Shares he or it does not directly own. Each of the Reporting Persons specifically disclaims beneficial ownership of the Shares reported herein that he or it does not directly own. Items 5(c) is hereby amended and restated to read as follows: The transactions in the Shares by the Reporting Persons during the past sixty days are set forth in Exhibit 1 and are incorporated herein by reference. Item 7 is hereby amended to add the following exhibit: 1 - Transactions in Securities BIGLARI, SARDAR /s/ Sardar Biglari 07/02/2026 BIGLARI CAPITAL CORP. /s/ Sardar Biglari 07/02/2026 LION FUND II, L.P. /s/ Sardar Biglari 07/02/2026 First Guard Insurance Company /s/ Sardar Biglari 07/02/2026 Biglari Reinsurance Ltd. /s/ Sardar Biglari 07/02/2026 Biglari Insurance Group Inc. /s/ Sardar Biglari 07/02/2026 Biglari Holdings Inc. /s/ Sardar Biglari 07/02/2026