El Pollo Loco — Restaurant in Lake Elsinore

I stopped there last Sunday to pick up some chicken for myself and for my disabled neighbor friend. I dropped off her chicken and went home to eat. I noticed a strange taste & texture to the chicken right away. It's hard to describe but it was unlike anything I'd ever had from El Pollo Loco before. And I've been addicted to their food since 1983. My neighbor called and said she didn't eat it. I didn't either. It wasn't that big of a deal... but I was worried that something had changed with one of my favorite restaurants. I called there a few days later and spoke with a delightful young lady that was so sincere and professional. She told me it shouldn't be like that and told me to come by on any day and tell them my name and they'd give me a free dinner to make up for it. I managed to get by there yesterday and met the nice girl I spoke with on the phone. Her name is Crystal and she is amazing. Her concern was genuine and very touching. She truly wanted to show me that everything was still alright in that store. I took the meal home and discovered that she was right, it must have just been a fluke on the odd tasting meal I had gotten before. Besides El Pollo Loco being the greatest, I have to say that Crystal's demeanor and enthusiasm were the best I'd ever seen in an employee. She must surely be the manager because she manages perfectly even if she's not. I was so impressed with her customer service skills and her friendly and kind way of treating a customer. She certainly is an asset to El Pollo Loco and to anyone who has the pleasure of dealing with her. If I could give a 6-star rating I would. I hope her bosses realize what a gem they have in her. She'd be a big success wherever she works so I sure hope they...

Dear Pollo Loco Team,

I'm writing to share my recent experience at one of your stores, and I hope that my feedback can contribute to improving the customer experience. I recently received a reward code and visited your store with the intention of redeeming it. Unfortunately, my visit did not meet my expectations.

Upon arriving at the store, I encountered difficulties in redeeming the reward code. The employees seemed to struggle with the process and were unable to provide assistance in a timely manner. As a result, I left the store without being able to use the reward code and without making a purchase.

I believe that improving the training and support for employees in handling reward codes and customer service interactions could greatly enhance the overall customer experience. Additionally, ensuring that employees are equipped with the necessary tools and knowledge to assist customers with promotions and rewards can make a significant difference.

I value the quality of your food and have been a loyal customer in the past. I believe that addressing these issues can help retain loyal customers and attract new ones. I hope that my feedback can be used to improve the overall customer experience at your stores.

Thank you for taking the time to consider my input. I look forward to seeing positive changes in the...

If this was a mystery shop, they'd have failed. Very disappointed. From filthy bathrooms, to unmelted cheese in our burritos, I've not had a such an experience with this chain.

They couldn't even be bothered to cook dark meat for a family meal... The same set of white meat on their cook top, the entire time we were there, over 30 minutes, almost as if it was just for show... It took over 15 minutes to give us a new set of food...

They did remake our burritos, referring to it as "well done"... If the bigger burrito didn't have properly melted cheese, I'd have expected they had changed formulas, but just seemed to be case of carelessness.

Stick with chicken. The shreaded beef was simply not their specialty.

This was 30 minutes prior to close of the dining room on a...