Complaints

This profile includes complaints for El Pollo Loco Inc's headquarters and its corporate-owned locations. To view all corporate locations, see Find Local Branches.

close

Find a Location

El Pollo Loco Inc has 94 locations, listed below.

*This company may be headquartered in or have additional locations in another country. Please click on the country abbreviation in the search box below to change to a different country location.

BBB accredited

Near

Country

USUnited States

Please enter a valid location.

Filter

• 

  El Pollo Loco Inc

  3535 Harbor Blvd #100 Costa Mesa, CA 92626

• 

  El Pollo Loco Inc

  1004 Mission Blvd Oceanside, CA 92054

• 

  El Pollo Loco Inc

  6121 Mission Gorge Rd San Diego, CA 92120

• 

  El Pollo Loco Inc

  10715 Scripps Poway Pkwy San Diego, CA 92131

• 

  El Pollo Loco Inc

  495 S Melrose Dr Vista, CA 92081

The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:11/08/2022

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Purchased food at the drive thru at a location in ****** **. Got back to our hotel and didn't receive half our order, the order we did receive was cold and breast pieces that had no meat, and our drinks were flat.We called them right away and they told us that we needed to contact the manager in the morning, which we did. The refused to refund or money, since we didn't plan on going back.We contacted their corporate office and they have given us the run around, offering a 25% discount off our next order. The fact that the assume we would be even considering on patronizing their business again, is insulting and shows they don't care.We have been coresponding with a woman named ********************* that has ghosted us on email for over 7 months.We would like our money back because we never plan on going back after experiencing this type of customer service.

  Business Response

  Date: 11/30/2022

  ******************,
  
   
  
  I am very sorry about your overall experience with our franchise location in ****, **. Your experience does not reflect our values and customer-first approach, so I have asked our Franchise Business Director to contact the owner of the ****, **, location to ensure a follow-up call. I understand that this does not immediately fix your experience nor give you a solution, but I would like to ask you to allow our Franchise Business Director a chance to ensure this gets resolved.
  
   
  
  If you should not hear from the ****, ** locations within the next 2-3 business days, please email me at *********************************************.
  
   
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ************
  
  Customer Experience Manager.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:10/19/2022

  Type:Delivery Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Oct. 2, 2022, I ordered on the El Pollo loco app like five times and my order kept cancelling. when my order finally went through for $50 I never received my order and when I checked I had two transactions one for $50 and the other one for $62 and I still have not heard anything back from customer service. Please refund me my money immediately.

  Business Response

  Date: 10/20/2022

  Hello *******, 

  Based on the information provided, you placed an online order at one of our franchise locations - El Pollo Loco # ****. 

  To better assist with your refund request, and ensure your get a follow up regarding your experience, I've asked the franchise owner to contact you. 

  Please allow them 1-2 business days to reach out.  If you do not hear from them, please send a follow up message to us via the BBB. 
  

  As a gesture of goodwill, I have added $10 in banked Loco Rewards, as we understand this experience should have been resolved the earlier. 

  Thank you for your patience as we work to get this matter resolved.  

   

   

• Initial Complaint

  Date:10/14/2022

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  On September 27, 2022 I used the El Pollo Loco App to order. ORDER #*****************. The amount of the transaction was $22.81. I waited for about 30 minutes and an order arrived at my door. I open the order only to find a side salad and a utensil pack. I immediately contacted the store and ask for a manager. A woman gets on the phone and I ask to speak to the manager. The woman who at first refused to give me her name finally identifies herself as *****. I begin to explain the situation and she cuts me off and says oh well maam there is nothing I can do contact the driver mind you the order was placed using the El Pollo Loco App so there is no contact information on the driver or what company they contract to deliver food on El Pollo Locos behalf. I explain this to her and she very rudely said there is nothing she can do and hung up on me. I called back a second time and asked her for her general managers name and contact information, she refused to give it to me, I then requested the corporate number and she said look it up yourself and hung up on me. She was extremely rude. I called back later that evening and spoke with a man who assured me that someone will contact me. No one has and it has been almost a month since this incident. I went online and found the number to corporate and contacted them. I called and I was passed to a answering service who told me someone will contact me regarding this via phone or email. I immediately followed up with a written request through their customer complaint form online as well as their social media page. It has now been almost a month and no call back from anyone at the location, corporate offices, etc. now Im out $22.81! I went online to write a review of my experience and come to find out this location is constantly messing up orders! Constantly overcharging customers and not fixing issues. I am livid! Customers dont deserve to be ripped off like this!

  Business Response

  Date: 10/17/2022

  Thank you for taking the time to contact El Pollo Loco.
  Our number one priority is to create the best moments for every customer, and we hold our restaurants to a high standard. In this case, we fell short. We appreciate your feedback and have shared it internally with our Restaurant Excellence Team to ensure we provide additional order accuracy and customer interaction training within the Restaurant. We have begun processing your online order refund request, which will take 3 business days to reflect within your account. As a token of our commitment, we added $40 in banked Loco Rewards to your loyalty account for the overall experience. Thank you again for your patience as we work to create a better customer experience within our Restaurant. 
  

  Sincerely, 
  *****************************
  Customer Experience Manager
  **********************, Inc

  Customer Answer

  Date: 10/17/2022

  I find it incredibly rude and dismissive of you to just give me some generic email apology and some reward points to make things right with the BBB and to make me go away is ridiculous and a tremendous slap in the face! How I was treated, lied to, talked to, hung up on repeatedly and ignored until I file a complaint with BBB NEEDS to be addressed! The way I have been ignored for almost 30 days by corporate, and the location with no return calls etc until I filed this complaint is insanity! That should be individually addressed! Your employees need better training on how to handle orders through the app! Especially when one of your employees forgets to give a driver the delivery and how to handle the situation from that point! It should not be brushed off and awarded with some lousy points! It is disgusting how this whole thing had been handled! Its not about the $22.81 its about the principal of treating your customers like garbage and just giving them some credits to shut them up! Shame on El Pollo Loco! 

  Business Response

  Date: 10/20/2022

  Hello *******, 

  First, Id like to apologize for any inconvenience or additional frustration our prior communication caused. This was not my intention, nor was it to insult or belittle your experience by adding banked loyalty rewards to your account. This was done as a gesture of goodwill, as our restaurant excellence team takes customer feedback seriously, especially when customers cannot receive friendly or timely resolutions to their restaurant experiences. The service you received was not on par with the expectations that we have for our managers, and we have since provided additional customer interaction training. This training equips our team with proactive resources that are helpful and friendly so that customers walk away knowing their issues was resolved the right way. 

  
  We appreciate your honesty, and will continue to work toward providing a more friendly and helpful customer experience within our restaurants. Please do not hesitate to reach out to us via the BBB should you have any additional questions or comments. 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:09/22/2022

  Type:Delivery Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I have placed dozens of orders at Pollo ***************** and I can count on one hand how many times we have received the order we paid for. However, this is not why I am filing this complaint.Today at about 6pm I used their app to place an order for food, it was noted my order will be delivered at 7:01pm. A few minutes before that time elapsed, they sent me a text message saying my order is either modified or canceled, and I must call the restaurant directly to get the details. I called this restaurant about 10 TIMES, nobody will answer the phone and the app has no way of contacting them other than email.After we leave to get an alternative meal, they text us saying we have a new order and it will be delivered at 7:35pm, so we decided to wait. At 7:35 exactly, they sent me the same message that the order is either canceled or modified. A few minutes later I get an email that the order is CANCELED.I noticethey are NOT saying I will be refunded so I checked on the app. Sure enough, they have charged me for the meal I DIDN'T RECEIVE, not once but TWICE!?!I've spoke to the manager **** several times and he always says he'll "make it up to me" when they totally s**** up my orders. This has happened at least 3 times, but he says I have to come in person for him to make things right. That's never happened.I would have stopped using this restaurant a long time ago, but this is my son's favorite food. The only employees in this restaurant that perform their job duties are the cooks, the chicken is always good...when we get the order that is.Why do you treat customers this way? Consistently over time you get worse and worse.There's also the time I tried to take advantage of this deal they advertised where you buy one gift card and they give you one free. That was a scam, I had to call customer support just to get one to work, the other could never be used!

  Business Response

  Date: 09/26/2022

  Hello ******,
  
  Thank you for taking the time to contact El Pollo Loco. I have asked our Franchise Business Director to contact the ******************** ****************** owners to ensure that you are contacted regarding your experience.As a gesture of goodwill, we have added $10 in banked Loco Rewards to your loyalty account as we value a customer and are deeply sorry for your recent experience.
  
  If you do not hear from the operation leader in 1-2 business days,please let us know, as we want to ensure your issue is resolved.
  
  Thank you!

  *****************************

  Customer Experience Manager

  **********************, Inc 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/24/2022

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  On August 24th 2022 At approximately 17:45 I went through the drive thru of store #**** my order number was ****. I ordered a $5 3 taco combo, a $5 chicken burrito combo, and a BRC burrito. When I arrived to the window to pay the Hispanic female (Vilaphet) took my card for payment and gave me my food. I asked kindly for 5 more green sauces and thats when she had change her tone and look and told me that she already gave me some. I checked and there was only one of each. She then told me that thats the policy one of each. She made it her point to get the managers permission to give more green sauces and they both looked at me in a mean way. They eventually gave me the sauces after the fact that I asked nicely. I then drove to my girlfriends work because we were going to have lunch together and I find out that my brc burrito is not in the bag. I try calling the store number multiple times ************* and no one picked up.

  Business Response

  Date: 08/31/2022

  Hi ******, 
  
  Thank you for taking the time to contact El Pollo Loco. 
  
  Making freshly prepared food is our top priority, and we thank you for voicing your order accuracy concerns and overall experience with our team at our Chatsworth, ** location. We appreciate your feedback and have shared it internally with our Restaurant Excellence Team to ensure we provide additional training to team members. 
  
  As a token of our commitment, we have added $15 in banked Loco Rewards to your loyalty account for the overall experience. We look forward to your next visit.

  Thank you! 

  *****************************

  CX Team 

  
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/18/2022

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I purchased an order through their online app for pickup. When I went to pick up my food at the scheduled time the restaurant was closing. There was an employee outside, and when I asked about my order he said they didn't have it, and to call the corporate office for a refund. I have called numerous times and they said they cannot refund, that it has to be the local branch to do it and that they will continue to "escalate" the complaint. 6 1/2 weeks later and I still do not have a refund for food I never received. 595F8N is my case number, if anyone could please refund me. I will not be patronizing this restaurant again until I receive a refund.

  Business Response

  Date: 08/22/2022

  Hello *******, 

  Thank you for contacting El Pollo Loco. 
  

  We've sent your online order refund request to the franchise operator, and have requested for them to contact you asap!

  We're extremely sorry for the overall inconvenience, and have added $10 in banked Loco Rewards that can be used on your next visit. 
  

  As we mentioned above, we will ensure that the franchise operator contacts you to resolve this issue. 
  

  Thank you! 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 08/22/2022

  Thank you for your reply, however, I have been told by a separate employee of El Pollo Loco four times now that I will be contacted by the branch franchise manager, and that has not yet happened. I will not consider this issue resolved until I receive a call from the appropriate person and receive a refund.

   

  Thank you for understanding.

  Business Response

  Date: 08/23/2022

  Hello *******, 

  We understand, and have asked our Franchise Business Director to assist with ensuring you get a follow-up call from the operation leader. 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 09/01/2022

  Hello,

   

  Thank you again for replying, however, I have yet to hear from anyone regarding a resolution and refund of my money. I will continue to not consider this matter resolved until I hear from someone. I do not understand why it has now taken almost two months to hear from anyone regarding a refund of my money. This really is unacceptable, and El Pollo Loco needs to have a better system in place for refunding customers. To rely on a specific branch manager (who is not following through with what they are supposed to be doing) is clearly not a good strategy. I really am disappointed in the customer service, which is unfortunate because my family would patronize your business at least once a month, but often more. Please review your policies and methods for refunding customers, and come up with a better way for customers to see business hours so that online orders cannot be placed for a pick up time when the restaurant is closed, or this would never have happened.

   

  Thank you for your time,

  *******

• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/03/2022

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  This was happened today 07/31/2022. My husband and my son went to drive thru at El Pollo Loco at *****************************************************************. When they went home theres no tortillas in his orders and the tostadas theres no guacamole. So I called Pollo Loco and the one who answered the phone was very rude and hang up on me. This is not acceptable. I paid for this food and I have a right to asked for it. We will never ?? go back to Pollo Loco anymore. I think theyre doing this in purpose. No good.

  Business Response

  Date: 08/03/2022

  Hello Grace, 

  Thank you for taking the time to contact El Pollo Loco.
  
  We appreciate your feedback and have shared it internally with our restaurant leadership team to ensure this doesn't happen again. We apologize for the overall experience, and will be sure to provide additional customer interaction training, as we strive to create  an atmosphere that honors our values and reassures our customers of our commitment to creating the best moments! We've shared your contact information with our Area Leader, and have asked them to contact you as we would like to make it right!
  
  Sincerely, 

  *****************************

• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/02/2022

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  On Sunday 7/31/22 at around 4:30 pm i placed an in person order at store #**** at *************************************************************************************. I waited a long time for my order and names were called except mine, when i went up to ask what was going on i was told no chicken was cooked yet and needed to wait. Again i saw orders pass me. I finally got order and was told no salsas were available and when i got a 1 salsa that no dressings were available. Yet i saw people around me getting salsas and dressings. The supervisor told me to my face time and time again we dont have any to all of my requests for condiments. She was super rude and i felt completely singled out and discriminated. It was clear she was only telling me no because everyone else got their orders just the way they liked. This isnt the first time employees at this location have been rude. I notice is mostly with us older guests because *************** man was being yelled at n told his number was called when it was clear he didnt get his food and had his receipt i afvocated for him and she said this is the last time ill give u the order what? He never got his order! This person is cruel and shouldnt be in customer service. The food it lacking also, the chicken is dry n has almost no meat. Quality has gone down.

  Business Response

  Date: 08/03/2022

  Hello ****, 

  Thank you for taking the time to contact El Pollo Loco.
  

  We appreciate your feedback and have shared it internally with our restaurant leadership team to ensure this doesn't happen again. Ive asked our Area Leader to give you a follow-up call, as we want to ensure your concerns are properly addressed. We appreciate your patience as we create an atmosphere that honors our values and reassures our customers of our commitment to creating the best moments!

  Sincerely, 

  *****************************

  CX Manager

• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/01/2022

  Type:Delivery Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Order was placed on 07/10/2022 through elpolloloco.com website.Order # ***************** Store Address:******************* AND *************** ************************************************************ *************** ************** Issue: Completely wrong order was delivered. I was not able to reach store nor delivery service for support at that time. Please see photo of what was delivered and actual receipt of what was ordered by me.

  Business Response

  Date: 08/02/2022

  Thank you for taking the time to contact El Pollo Loco.
  
  We have begun processing your online order refund request, which will take 3 business days to reflect within your account. For the overall inconvenience, we added $10 in banked Loco Rewards to your loyalty account to use on your next visit. 
  
  Thank you again for your patience as we work to create a better customer experience within our Restaurant.
  
  Sincerely, 

  *****************************

  Customer Experience Manager 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 08/02/2022

  
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution would be satisfactory to me.  I will wait for the business to perform this action and, if it does, will consider this complaint resolved.
  
  Regards,
  
  *******************
  
   
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:07/25/2022

  Type:Delivery Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Last night, I ordered dinner to be delivered for my family using the El Pollo Loco app and a Door Dash driver was sent to the El Pollo Loco on *************** and ************** in ********. The Door Dash man texted me to say this location ran out of chicken and I need to cancel my order or send it to another location. I decided to cancel it but the screen told me I had to call the store to cancel it and no one answered when I called the number. I eventually got an email saying my order was cancelled but the charge of $55.85 is still on my card. Please have someone refund my money. My order number was *****************. Thank you.

  Business Response

  Date: 07/25/2022

  Hello ***, 

  Thank you for contacting El Pollo Loco. 

  We've sent your online order refund request to the franchise operator, and have requested for them to contact you asap! We're extremely sorry for the overall inconvenience, and have added $10 in banked Loco Rewards that can be used on your next visit. 

  As we mentioned above, we ensure that the franchise operator contacts you to resolve this issue. 

  Thank you! 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 07/25/2022

  
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution would be satisfactory to me.  I will wait for the business to perform this action and, if it does, will consider this complaint resolved.
  
  Regards,
  
  *****************