Mendocino Farms, LLC 401(k) Review & Grade
Mendocino Farms Sandwich Market 401(k) Plan
El Segundo, CAAccommodation & Food Services1,084 active participantsPlan year 2024
Estimate from the plan's Form 5500-SF filing · How we grade
$378Employer $ per active participant
$685Employee $ saved per active participant
1.04%Direct admin cost, % of plan assets
$3.7MNet plan assets, end of year
–Average balance per account (account count looks misreported)
Score breakdown
- Employer generosity31.2 / 5062th percentile for employer $ per participant
- Low cost1.5 / 256th percentile for low admin cost vs. same-size plans
- Employee saving6.4 / 1542th percentile for employee $ per participant
- Plan features3 / 10Default investment
Total score42 / 100 · Grade D
This plan vs. peers
Peers: Accommodation & Food Services plans with 500–2,499 active participants (458 plans).
| Measure | Percentile |
|---|---|
| Employer $ per participant | 62th |
| Lower admin cost | 6th |
| Employee saving | 42th |
| Peers that auto-enroll | 17% |
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Red flags from the filing
No red flags were reported on this filing's compliance questions.
What to do if you're in this plan
- Mendocino Farms put in about $378 per active participant, more than the typical peer ($266). Contribute at least enough to collect the full match. Skipping it leaves part of your pay on the table.
- The filing shows total dollars, not the match formula. Ask HR for the Summary Plan Description so you know the exact match and vesting schedule.
- Direct plan expenses (1.04% of assets) are well above similar-size plans (0.23%). Check your annual fee disclosure, choose low-cost index funds if you can, and think about whether savings beyond the match belong in an IRA.
- Changing jobs? You can usually leave the money in the plan, move it to your new employer's plan, or roll it into an IRA. Don't cash out: you'd owe taxes and possibly a 10% penalty.
The raw numbers from the filing
| Employer contributions | $410,202 |
| Participant (employee) contributions | $742,018 |
| Other contributions (incl. rollovers in) | $287,535 |
| Administrative expenses paid from the plan | $29,446 |
| Benefits paid out | $156,455 |
| Net assets, start / end of year | $2.0M / $3.7M |
| Active participants, start / end of year | 1,039 / 1,129 |
| Participants with account balances | 143 |
| Auto-enrollment (feature code 2S) | Not reported |
Source: DOL EFAST2 Form 5500-SF filing, acknowledgment ID 20251015184636NAL0005398305014, received 2025-10-15, EIN 80-0380354, plan #001, plan year 2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31. Verify at efast.dol.gov.