El Pollo Loco — Restaurant in Watauga

I’m surprised this location has such poor service considering how new they are. They just opened a few months ago and they consistently close early with no warning. For example, I pulled up to the drive through last night at 9:15, 45 mins before their listed closing time. The entire outside of the building was pitch black, but the drive through was lit up so I thought I’d give it a try. I could see employees inside and kept saying “hello?” at the drive through window, but no one answered. I rarely write reviews, but I can’t help but have very little respect for a place being run like this. I also see multiple reviews mentioning this exact same issue. I can’t believe a respectable manager would allow a restaurant they’re running to consistently close early and miss out on that much revenue frequently. I understand not wanting to take orders 10 mins before close, but an entire hour? C’mon.

It’s a shame the owner spent so much money getting this business set up just to let their staff run the place so poorly and cost them that much revenue and poor publicity on reviews. The owner should really try to rally their staff, improve their work ethic, or just get an entirely new staff, especially a manager who can motivate employees. Definitely won’t return here and honestly I’m wishing they’d put something else in this location instead of El Pollo Loco because the...

The brand new dining room is not open. Why? I went through the drive through to order instead. Someone tried to take my order or talking to me in a foreign language. I asked, “does anyone speak English here?” Then they Yelled at me through the speaker, “Huuu!!!”

I decided to talk to the manager about the situation and that’s when it really got bad. When I finally got to the window I let the manager know we are in America and we speak English here. She insisted I was rude for saying such a thing. She then explained the employee was not talking to me at all, but was talking to her. Unfortunately I was never addressed through the order speaker, even after waiting a while. Something like, “sorry, we’ll be right with you” or “Ops just a minute” would have been easy. Instead I was yelled at twice by El Pollo Loco employees. Then the manager proceeded to yell at me, “I understand” over and over. Yelling this at me did not give the feeling of being heard. They lost my business for dinner tonight. They also lost my business for many future opportunities too. If anyone asks me about this El Pollo Loco location, my remarks will not be complimentary. I really wish this would have turned out better.

I decided to go to another fast food chain that is well known for excellent customer service. They also have their dining room open. I’m happy to support businesses with...

Dear Pollo Loco Management, I visited your establishment today with the intention of having lunch. Unfortunately, my experience was far from satisfactory. Upon arrival, the employee at the counter appeared confused. When he asked for our order, I requested a moment to review the menu. He responded loudly, “OK, YOU CALL ME WHEN YOU’RE READY,” and then stood there without offering further assistance. When we inquired if it was possible to modify a kids’ meal by excluding the rice and adding sour cream to the burrito, he informed us that it was against policy and that an additional charge would apply. I expressed my willingness to pay any extra charges, but he insisted on consulting his manager. He then approached a group of four employees, and we could overhear them making negative remarks. This experience was quite disheartening, and we decided to leave without placing an order. It is surprising that a business would not accommodate reasonable customer requests, especially when the restaurant was not busy. I hope you will address these issues to improve customer service and ensure a more pleasant dining experience for...