El Pollo Loco — Restaurant in Big Bear Lake

The food was fine, but the dining room, as well as the restrooms, were a total mess! They may just of have had a major dinner rush and maybe the employees decided to take the rest of their shifts to recalibrate, but the place had only a handful of customers sitting at tables when we were there. No one was at the counter ordering food and the drive-thru was very sparse to nothing, as far as we could tell. There seemed to be plenty of employees scheduled, at least 6 or more, but no one was attempting to clean up anything! There was food, paper, utensils, cups, etc. on the floors. They desperately needed to be swept and mopped! Almost all of the tables needed to be cleaned off/wiped down. It was actually hard to find one that was clean enough to sit and eat at! The restrooms were just as bad! The Women’s bathroom had toilet seat covers and toilet paper strewn about, and dirty sinks too! My husband used the Men’s bathroom and stated that it was in pretty much the same condition as I had encountered in the Women’s bathroom. The workers were friendly, which is the reason why I gave this place 2 Stars ⭐️⭐️ instead of 1.⭐️ However, they had plenty of work that needed to be done in order to make the place presentable. They even still had Christmas decorations up, including 2 full Christmas trees, and it’s only a few days until February! That’s really not so bad, compared to the overall condition of the restaurant. Maybe the strategy was to save up their energy and wait until closing time to tackle it all at once? If that is truly the case, they are right on point! I sincerely apologize for leaving this bad review, mainly because I know the fast food industry can be very challenging and extremely exhausting. I really do thank and appreciate those who put forth their best effort on every shift they are scheduled...

Sept 28th I went over to El Pollo Loco, Big Bear Lake, CA. about an hour from closing time. I hadn't been there in a few years because of issues in the past but, thought I world give it another try. I had asked for 4 breasts (they only had 2) and a chicken crunch bowl. I had also asked for flour tortillas. Pulled up to the window, got the bag of food. Checked and there were no flour tortillas. He said they didn't come with what I ordered. My bill was already over $30.00. I said well can I pay for the tortillas. He asked me how many and I said 4. I handed him $3.00. I think he said it was $2.60, gave me my change for the 4 flour tortillas. Handed me the bag of what I THOUGHT had the tortillas in. Once I got home, I gave my husband his chicken crunch bowl and I waited a bit to eat. Once I got into my food I see the 2 chicken breasts, the large coleslaw (bland) and 2 BAGS of salsa. NO tortillas!!! That jerk at the window knowingly ripped me off!! He knew exactly what he was doing. It was no mistake. What am I going to do with 8 salsas and not one tortilla that I PAID for. Don't do what I did.....trust that they'll give you your full order. Check every single thing in the bag but, should I really have to? Yes because you'll get shorted on your order and might not be correct! Also the guy working the drive thru seemed "above me." Sorry bud, you're above no one. Have a better attitude!! The only good thing I can say about this place is my husband really liked the Chicken Crunch bowl. My chicken was a bit dry and small breasts. My food order was $34.98 on my card + $2.60 cash for the tortillas I didn't get. Not worth it! Also they need to automatically give each customer their receipt. They don't! Get it together Big Bear Lake El Pollo Loco!!! Giving 2 stars for the...

I love all El Pollo Loco restaurants but this location isn't one of their shiniest. The bathrooms are not as clean as other locations and the overall cleanliness of the restaurant is, well..."isn't". The salsa bar was almost empty of everything and very unappealing looking. What was left of the avocado salsa (my favorite!) was a thick, pasty & very "different-looking-than-normal" salsa. Granted it is January in Big Bear but eating with a down parka on isn't optimal. Felt like there was more than the drive thru window open. I felt bad for the employees, yes it was THAT cold! BUT speaking of the employees, they get 5 stars for friendliness, quick service and patience with a very steady stream of customers!! In addition, the food was tasty as usual! A little cleaning and bump the thermostat to at least 60 degrees and it's a five star El Pollo...