El Pollo Loco — Restaurant in Upland

My family orders take-out via the app several times a week from this N. Upland location. We usually order a tostada among other items and the app requires us to specify which dressing we want (Creamy Cilantro or Ranch). We always specify Ranch but NEVER receive it. We either receive the Creamy Cilantro or no dressing at all and have to ask for it when we pick up the order. We are always met with an argumentative response that the dressing is in the bag which is not true. We have to ask for the dressing multiple times and each time are told it's in the bag in a rude and defensive tone. I'm not sure why they have to be so argumentative about it, or why the app requires us to specify the dressing if the staff isn't going to pay attention to the order in the first place. It's ridiculous and frustrating to have to argue to get a packet of dressing.

Recently, when we picked up our order, we could immediately tell that an item was missing from our order and brought it to a staff member's attention. We were told in a stern and defensive manner "it's all there; it's in the bag" which was not true. We politely explained that we ordered 3 items but only received 2. The staff member doubled down multiple times and insisted it was in the bag. A manager finally got involved and found our missing item.

It's frustrating to spend $35-50 dollars several times a week and to have to argue with a staff member to get a lousy packet of salad dressing or to get our entire order in the first place. If anyone from EPL is reading this, you need to hire more service-oriented team members who are not defensive and argumentative over simple requests. We order a lot of take-out and will think twice about ordering from this EPL location.

EDIT: It is now several months later and this EPL location just can't seem to get orders right. Today we ordered a meal with mashed potatoes and it came with beans instead. Two weeks ago, we ordered 3 entrees and only got 2 and when my husband questioned the clerk she insisted over and over that the order was complete so he brought it home and then of course discovered he was right and had to go back. Of the 2 entrees we received, one was completely wrong and had a thigh instead of breast meat and totally different sides. We will no longer give business to this EPL location; It's not acceptable to spend $30-40 on a meal only to have...

I'd avoid this place unless you want to potentially be gaslit into thinking you were wrong about what you were charged, even after you go inside after the drive-thru to prove in your bank charges you were right.

Instead of apologizing and making things right, they sent me on my way with charges for my order, someone else's order, and what they say is going to be a refund for some random 3rd order that is less than either of the other two orders I was charged for.

I have to now wait 2-3 business days to see if I get some random refund on a mysterious 3rd order and then what? Drive back over there to show them it didn't go through? The two other charges are pending but this refund is not even pending. As of right now I've paid $21.84 for one burrito and the headache of having to argue with them and prove they messed up while my food gets cold.

Even if I was refunded everything I'll just avoid El Pollo Loco completely if this is how their managers (Jessica) are trained to handle these situations.

Peace and love, but...

I ordered 2pollo bowls and wanted to add lettuce to my bowl. When I got home my pollo bowl had 3 tiny pieces of lettuce and and 4 tiny pieces of chicken swimming in nothing but bean it looked more like I had ordered a soup of beans. I called right away to speak to the manager and the manager who claimed to be the manger Rene was the most rudest person I had to deal with. He refused to replace my bowls and screamed at me in very broken English so I asked him to speak Spanish to me better to see if that would help the situation better. It was worst he continued to be rude and told be that if I asked for lettuce in my food why didn’t I just buy a salad. He refused to credit the order and said that he would not exchange the gross bowls he himself had made. He continued to argue and treat me horribly and then hanged up on me. I will be reporting this horrible person to corporate and exposing him. I will not allow him to continue running business as he pleases and treating customers like this. He has no customer...