Pollo Tropical — Restaurant in Miami

I went yesterday with friends to order food in person for my family. It was the first time I’ve gone to get pollo tropical in a while and less actually going inside to order. The second I got there I was in a call with my mom trying to figure out what to bring to the house. I was being as polite as I can be saying hello and everything the old lady attending us was absolutely disgusting the way she attended me and my friends. She was letting me know about the family duo meal and I asked if we can change the sweet plantains to the fried yuca when she said no that we can’t I let my mom know in the phone if it was okay with her the whole time I was confirming with my mom the old lady was rolling her eyes sighing and seemed so irritated by me mind you the second I asked my mom if it was okay she was already rolling her eyes annoyed so I didn’t even take that long. Then later on we finish ordering and a few mins after I got thirsty so I asked my friend if he can go get me a drink. He comes back and mentioned how the same lady told him if it was okay that they didn’t have a specific part of the chicken but when he told me the part I didn’t know what he was talking I thought it was an item or something but we ended up finding out it was a part of the chicken so I told him yea that’s fine. And when he was about to go back to let her know it was okay she comes storming out right at me in-front of everyone in the restaurant yelling saying how she’s waiting for my answer and to hurry up in the most rudest way possible, and I was truly in disbelief. I understand people don’t have to be at their best behavior at all cost everyone is human but at least could’ve kept it neutral instead of being annoyed and upset at me rolling her eyes and being super aggressive the whole time. When I went home I told my mom about the situation and she was really upset with the whole experience. I’m not a person to ever think about writing a review but I’ve never in my life have I gotten so disgusted by someone’s customer service to such a degree. I work in fast food and I understand not being in the mood but there absolutely no need for everything that I experienced that night, I was being nice and would try to let lil things slide trying to be understanding but once she came up to me like that I really couldn’t believe it. I’ve been coming to this pollo tropical since I was in elementary school and I already graduated and trying to see how pretty the establishment has gotten after last time I came in person with my grandma in the beginning of my high school years only to be completely disgusted by that lady’s actions. It truly saddened me. In addition she asked me when ordering what sauces I wanted and regardless I didn’t receive any sauce.

Thank you for reaching out and making me feel a bit more at ease. I hope this never happens...

I called Christmas eve, and was told that they're open until 8 I confirmed that if I make it there by 8, they would serve me and she said yes. So, I got an Uber from my hotel and made it there by 7:55. The door was locked, and wouldn't let me in. They had already mopped the floor and put the food away. The lady who came to the door didn't even speek English, but kept pointing to the sign saying 8. I showed my phone which the time said 7:55 and they kept saying 8. Finally someone who spoke English came out and said we're only open until 8! To which I showed them the time saying it's not 8 yet.

I've worked in the retail business for years. We ALWAYS served customers until the time we said we would. HORRIBLE CUSTOMER SERVICE.

UPDATE! Visited this location tonight,two years After my original review. There are a lot of people working in the back, and not very many customers. However it took quite a while before we could order our food. After we finally made it to the register, we waited about 10 minutes before the cashier would come back to take our order. After taking our order, I asked what sauces they have… Since Pollo tropical Is famous for their great sauces. He told me they don’t do sauces anymore and don’t have any. I questioned several times, and he said it was a corporate decision to discontinue having sauces. After I place my order, I asked one more time you sure you don’t have any sort of dipping sauces, to which he replied OK yeah we do. TURNS OUT HE WAS LYING! He said he would add some to the order. When I received my order there were no sauces in there. I had to ask somebody else and they got me the curry sauce.

My colleague who ordered a sandwich right after I ordered my meal I had to wait an extra 30 to 40 minutes. When he asked an employee if his order would be ready soon, he was told that they don’t have any sandwiches! Like 40 minutes after he paid for a sandwich that he never got! This shows a consistent theme of fraud and dishonesty among the employees. Do not eat here! They cannot be trusted!...

No idea what happened, but this place has gone downnnnnnnn hilllllllll. Visit the area for work 1-2x per year and this location is ranked high on this list - multiple times during my stay - until now. I realize change happens and that’s fine so long as it’s for the good. Prior to the pandemic, this place was wildly popular, but well worth the wait, even during the busy lunch window. During the pandemic, the layout of the place changed, but understandably so. Still, the food was great and the options/sauces for my rice bowl were plentiful even though the self service bar was no more. As we pulled into the parking lot, my co-worker noted how busy this place used to be, even during the pandemic, but on this day, our car was one of 3 and the drive thru was completely empty. Inside, the dining area was completely opened up and empty…it was as though the place was closed. We each placed our orders and paid. When it came time to ask for options/sauces, we were rudely told “no”. No hot sauce, no jalapeños, nothing. This made for an unsavory meal…it was like eating leftovers. As I was hungry, I ate most of the meal, but one of the co-workers was so out off by the lack of options/sauces, he barely made a dent (threw most of it away). He noted, “this place is dead to me” and I can’t/won’t say I disagree. Not sure if this was a location thing or not, but if this is the way PT is going, it’s no wonder the lot, drive-thru and dining area are in the state they’re in…EMPTY. Hopefully someone in corporate takes notice and works to address this matter, whether it be locality or corporate-wide....