El Pollo Loco — Restaurant in Texas

Food is good, Manager Rosie isn’t (as she gave me, if that is even her real name). She is the manager on duty tonight, June 15, 2021. Our order#951, registered at 8:58pm, 400 N jackson rd, Bldg B, pharr Tx. We love pollo loco and have always been eating in Nolana, Mc Allen and University, Edinburg branch and all has been good until tonight. Will never go back to this branch again and i agree with other reviews, customer service isn’t good here. So we ordered a 12pc chicken meal and as always, we use heaps and loads of the salsa. First they gave us 10 small containers with about a teaspoonful of salsa. So we asked our daughter to go ask for 10more because i consume about 2 containers of the salsa with 1pc. My daughter came back with 10small containers saying that Crew Micheal said they were supposed to charge for it but gave it free anyway. So i went to the counter and confirmed if that is their rule because as far as i remember we were never charged for any extra salsa we ask from the other branches. Michael then told me to speak to the manager who was just beside him. So i went ahead and just when you thought you can count on the manager, you are so wrong if you are in this branch. I asked if that is their rule that they charge for extra salsa. The tone of her voice on her very first words weren’t nice at once. She didn’t say yes, but she started saying their meal packages and what salsa/sauce goes with it and how many, in an offensive and somewhat angry tone. So i just said again “so this is your rule? ” and i said, “and what is your name?” She proudly said “I’m Rosie”. So i said, “oh Rosie, and you are Michael, right?” And then i turned back and started walking toward our table. The manager just made the matter worse by yelling at me as i walked away saying “you might want to include restaurant number 3782, etc, etc” she has been yelling alot of things which i didn’t understand anymore because i went ahead and joined my family with the dinner. I didn’t want to go down her level as it was obvious what she did was unethical and very unprofessional. Crew Michael later on came to our table apologizing for what happened and that it was their manager’s rule. But we didn’t feel good of what has been done. so we didn’t say anything and just continued with our dinner (again, we aren’t going down their level) As we walked out, i looked at the manager by the counter as we exited by the door close to it. She didn’t say anything as if she saw nothing.

Never again will we be back in this Pollo Loco branch. And i agree with the other review, customer service is very poor in this branch, at least basing from our experience with...

This was my first time at El Pollo Loco ever.

Service- I downloaded the app just see what kind of food and combos were available. I decided to get everyone's (my parents, my 2 year old and I ) order at the table. I was going to order through the app, but it said it would take 30 minutes to complete. Since we were already there, I decided to order at the counter. The first thing I ordered was the Meal for 2 which included 4 pieces of chicken, 2 salads, 2 sides and 4 tortillas. This seemed to be only available in the app, so I ordered from the app since this meal option was not available at the counter. The food said it would be ready in 30 minutes, I went to my table and when the time came close, I sat down in the front to wait. The servers were messing around with each other while they were filling other orders. I watched my order sit on the counter as they would add separate items to the order. My order was at least 10 minutes late. While I sat there waiting for them to finish it. Not cooking it, just packing it.

Food- So here is what we ordered..

1. Meal for Two - Chicken was somewhat small as a portion. It tasted good. I ordered regular ranch dressing with the salads, but they put the cilantro dressing on both. The rice was good. The churros

2. Birria 2 Crunchy Taco Box - "Crunchy" tacos seemed to be deep fried and dripping in oil. Oddly enough, the cheese inside wasn't melted. Very oily and very messy. The tortillas were so "crispy" that they were falling apart when I opened the foil. The meat had a good flavor. I ordered my tacos without cilantro and onion, the consumé was chock full of onion and cilantro. The cilantro overpowered the taste of the consumé. I didn't eat the Mac and Cheese, the Loco Salad was good.

3. Shredded Chicken Nachos - Chicken was oddly cold...on nachos. Chicken has a nice flavor but again...it was cold.

4. 2 PC Chicken Leg Kids Meal - Everything was fine with the kids meal.

5. 2 Medium Drinks - All the drinks Not sure if it's the water or the syrup was going out but all the drinks tasted funny.

Overall- Not impressed with the service or food. The chicken was good, but small. I am willing try the one back in Colorado when...

Drive through visit, cashier was nice. First time here. Looking for a salad while the family gets BK next door. Ordered a chicken salad, forgot the name. I saw they had chips with guacamole and churros on the menu so I had to try those out. They also gave me a few different salsa condiments, I didn’t ask for them. I did forget to ask about a dressing, or maybe one of those green condiments was the dressing. Either way, the salad was spectacular. I didn’t even need the dressing. There were a few white iceberg pieces but I just picked them out. The chips and guacamole were delicious. And the churros, like they were made in the bakery, really good. Overall I was impressed as I wasn’t expecting to like the food that much. I’ve lived here since they’ve opened and never thought to try. I will definitely be going back. There were other interesting items but it was just me eating there. Can’t wait to go back and check out...