El Pollo Loco — Restaurant in San Antonio

We walked into the El Pollo Loco on Fredericksburg, it took a little while before we were acknowledged by the cashier. We stated we'd be using a coupon we received and we proceeded to order 2 of the Managers Special. Not until after we ordered were we told that the Managers Special comes with rice and beans, if you want anything else it's an additional charge. We stated fine then take the other sides off and we'll take the rice and beans. The cashier then stated that she couldn't void anything. We were told that she already put the coupon in and if she voids the sale the coupon can't be used. All she had to do was change the sides but she ended up voiding the sale, then she tells us that we couldn't use the coupon. We asked her to call the manager, she stated she was the manager but then she changed that statement to say she was the night shift lead. She was hesitant on giving her name after we told her we were going to contact the corporate office again because we were having another bad experience, she finally said her name was Kristy, and then she said well they can send you another coupon. We told her she needs to honor the coupon she was given earlier and she should have specified that no sides could be substituted. She was rude and unprofessional and needs customer service training. She made us late to watch our scheduled movie for the night and made our experience at this El Pollo Loco a bad experience. Also she needs to be told that even though she's speaking Spanish to the other workers that other people can still understand her. This showed she was taking this personal when it shouldn't have been, she just needed to do her job correctly and if she needs training then she needs to go to training to know how to work with the public. There aren't alot of El Pollo Loco locations but I'll be sure to never go back to this location on Fredericksburg. Also the restaurant smelled like sewage and the ceiling tiles looked like they were...

I may have reviewed this restaurant previously, but this one is for tonight's visit.

One thing that I really miss about restaurants that had them are the salsa bars - yet another Covid loss. I asked for, and pointed them out (on their own chart stuck to their counter) which condiments I desired. I made it unmistakably clear that I wanted "pico" - & the cashier even repeated it. Same thing with cilantro, their green sauce, and their spicier salsa. The cashier looked where I was pointing and nodded in acknowledgement.

Poor kid, must not have understood a word of English or Spanish, despite sounding like he spoke English.

There was ONE small container of the green salsa, and only 2 containers of their most tasteless tomato something (definitely not any kind of flavor).

There was no cilantro. There was no spicy salsa. There was no pico at all.

I could have ordered anything on the menu and it would have been wrong because they lied about the salsas.

Last visit I ordered the bowl WITHOUT sour cream. I got home with that one and threw it away because they ... messed ... that simple request.

If you visit this restaurant, do NOT go through the drive-thru. Do like I did and walk in to place your order face to face. And, since that doesn't prevent them from getting a simple order wrong, I will be dumping out my orders on their counter and inventoring every item.

Either that, or any other of the 10,000 taco stands on San Antonio.

Good job, folks. You will get a 3rd chance, maybe several 3rd chances. But WHEN you scre ... mess ... that up, I'll quit visiting this place in my neighborhood ... if I can even bring...

My recent visit to this El Pollo Loco location was somewhat disappointing. The chicken, while flavorful, had a texture that suggested it may have been reheated multiple times, impacting its overall quality. Similarly, both the rice and the mashed potatoes, along with their gravy, contained noticeable hard spots, indicating they were not as fresh as one would hope.

The self-serve bar for vegetables and sauces was unfortunately not well-maintained; it appeared dirty, and the parsley offered was visibly past its prime. Furthermore, the salsa selection was minimal and of poor quality. To add to the less-than-ideal experience, the fountain drinks lacked carbonation.

While I appreciate the concept of El Pollo Loco, the execution on this occasion fell short. Improvements in food freshness, ingredient quality at the self-serve bar, and equipment maintenance (such as the soda fountain) would significantly enhance the...