{"schema_version":"secwatch.filing_event.v1","accession":"0001606366-26-000051","form_type":"8-K","ticker":"LOCO","cik":"0001606366","company_name":"El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc.","filed_at":"2026-09-25T20:11:46+00:00","discovered_at":"2026-09-25T20:14:23.310777+00:00","generated_at":"2026-10-12T13:22:26.353620+00:00","sec_items":["5.02"],"event_type":"leadership","sentiment":"neutral","materiality_score":0.3,"calibrated_materiality_score":0.3,"confidence":"high","headline":"El Pollo Loco appoints Damon Thomas Chief Operating Officer, effective Sept 21, 2026","bullets":["Damon Thomas, 49, named COO effective Sept 21, 2026, reporting to CEO Elizabeth \"Liz\" Williams; previously SVP Operations at Shake Shack through Sept 2026.","Base salary $425,000; target cash bonus equal to 75% of salary, with a guaranteed minimum 2026 bonus of $225,000.","One-time sign-on grant of restricted stock and performance share units valued at ~$500,000 vesting over three years, plus a $25,000 cash sign-on bonus.","Annual equity awards of ~$400,000 beginning 2027, vesting 33% per year over three years; severance of 12 months of continued base salary if terminated without cause or for good reason.","Prior roles include VP Operations at Yoshinoya America (June 2022-Aug 2023) and senior operations posts at Quest Food Management Services and Raising Cane's Chicken Fingers."],"urls":{"canonical":"https://secwatch.observer/filing/0001606366-26-000051","json":"https://secwatch.observer/filing/0001606366-26-000051.json","markdown":"https://secwatch.observer/filing/0001606366-26-000051.md","text":"https://secwatch.observer/filing/0001606366-26-000051.txt","edgar_index":"https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1606366/000160636626000051/0001606366-26-000051-index.htm","edgar_primary_document":"https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1606366/000160636626000051/loco-20260925x8k.htm"},"model":{"generated_by":"deepseek-v4.1-flash:cloud@v2","generated_at":"2026-10-12T13:22:26.353620+00:00"},"review":{"review_status":"machine_generated","human_reviewed":false,"corrected":false,"correction_note":null,"correction_timestamp":null,"superseded_by":null,"related_filings":[]},"source_grounded_claims":[],"license":"Source filings: public domain (SEC EDGAR). Summaries (headline + bullets): CC-BY-4.0; attribute https://secwatch.observer"}