Pollo Tropical — Restaurant in West Melbourne

I don't have time to write reviews but I took the time to write this one. We've been loyal customers since they opened and as previous reviews say the place is really running downhill. They have a great product, I can't believe that corporate is letting this happen, you are loosing a lot of business, is someone going to do anything? Eventually you are going to have to close this business, and corporate is going to be wondering why? Are they reading the reviews? Is management doing something to resolve this big problem? The drive thru is a nightmare, you sit there for 30 mins. and when is your turn they are OUT OF EVERYTHING!!! Not because Dorian, which we understand, this had happened the last 3 times we had been there! No plantains, no lettuce, no corn souffle. We ended up getting a tropichop with rice and meat, our frustration went to the roof and we didn't want to go to another place to get something else!!! By the way, PANDA EXPRESS PREPARES YOUR FOOD SUPER FAST, ALWAYS FRESH AND THEY NEVER EVER RUN OUT OF FOOD! Corporate should pay them a visit to learn how to run a fast food place. Don't go after 8 pm, it's the worst time, employees are frustrated, you can see it on their faces, that doesn't help the image of the business. You are loosing a lot of customers. 9/13/19: Last night my husband wanted Pollo Tropical for dinner but I was reluctant to go, but I did and I regretted it. The first thing when I get to the drive thru there were no cars. It was 8:20 pm, I thought it was my lucky night!! It was all dark, and the billboard was off, through the speaker they told me the drive thru computer crashed, that I had to go in to place my order. When I walked in, there were all this people standing with long faces and frustrated waiting for their orders. I heard an employee saying that the chicken was going to take 20 mins. to be ready. A man in front of me was placing his order, I heard him saying "never mind" and walked out. It was my turn and I asked for chicken breasts with pinto beans....and the first thing the cashier told me is they were out of pinto beans! I left the restaurant! I went to MOE'S BURRITOS which is across the street, it was 8:40, they close at 9 pm. The man that was in front of me at Pollo Tropical was there too getting his dinner!!! MY ORDER WAS READY IN 5 MINUTES ( I timed it), THEY NEVER RUN OUT OF FOOD, THEY ALWAYS HAVE EVERYTHING! I won't never go back to Pollo Tropical!! I would give it NO STARS but you are forced to put one. Do yourself a favor, don't waste your time, if you are lucky and they have what you want, for sure you will waste an hour to get your food at a "Fast...

Food is good when they actually have what you want but the service is absolutely terrible. This is my experience from today:

One of your employees by the name of Angela, was quite rude! While I was placing my take out order with another employee by the name of Trish, Angela was listening in on the order.  When I ordered balsamic tomatoes, Angela called out "we're out of those!". Trish apologized and asked what I would like to order instead, which I proceeded to do.

Then while 5 minutes had gone by while I was waiting for my take out order, a gentleman brings out a fresh batch of balsamic tomatoes. I  hear Trish telling a few patrons that she can correct their substitutions for the tomatoes that they originally wanted. Upon hearing that I walked over to the counter to ask Trish if she would also correct my substitutions as well.  Angela overheard that conversation and secluded herself to the side of the kitchen and is complaining to another worker about how she can't stand this crap and that they need to get someone else to work the line.

With no such luck, she walks back over and starts filling more orders, and by this point I see her throwing food that has fallen onto the counter over to the other side of the kitchen.

Finally she gets to my order and very abruptly throws it on the counter and I say to her "I wasn't trying to mess the order up, I just wanted to trade the items for what I originally wanted, which you said you were out of". She looks at me very agitated and says "you can just have it all! ". Shocked, I start collecting my food to leave, and she says "you need help to your car? Almost as if I'm such a nuisance that I couldn't possibly carry my own food.I'm 33 years old and there were only 2 bags to carry, the only possible reason for asking me that is to be facetious..... I respond, annoyed at this point saying "No, I don't need help to my car!". I left the restaurant feeling completely disrespected and not welcome!  The only saving grace for today was Trish, she at least was kind and really wanted to help the patrons get the items that they originally asked for.  She was also very polite to me while placing my order. And to top this entire story off, when I got home, my husband opened his food, and some of the items ordered...

If I could give this location zero Stars, purely based on the efficiency of service, I absolutely would. It does not matter if you place a web order, hit the drive-thru, or walk in and stand in line. You will be waiting for at least 30 minutes for your order. This has happened to me on a few occasions, but I came back because my family likes the food and I always hold out hope that maybe a location is just having a bad day. Today is the last straw. This place is consistently awful. Grossly understaffed, and the staff that's there is miserable, and I imagine it's because customers are constantly getting after them for screwing up orders. Which they do, constantly. As of this writing, I placed an order this evening at 7:12 pm. I was told in my email confirmation that I should be able to pick my order up by 7:29 pm. I arrived at the location at 7:33 p.m. and walked into a dining room full of miserable upset customers who had likely been waiting an enormous amount of time. I got in line behind the customers waiting near the online order pick-up sign and was finally able to request my order at approximately 7:40. This is after listening to a number of customers go back and forth having to have their orders corrected. I was told by the person on the service line that my order needed to be made and it 'shouldn't take too long'. Another 10 minutes went by as I watch this individual putting various orders together which were not mine, which came in long after mine had been put on the line, and only after that time was I told that the chicken bites that were part of my order still need to go in the fryer and would take another 5 minutes. Long story short, I did not have my hands on my order until 7:58 p.m., almost 30 minutes after I was meant to pick it up. The management at this location, and in this area, should be ashamed of themselves for running such a poor kitchen. I don't care if it's a Michelin starred restaurant or a McDonald's - there is no excuse for being understaffed and underprepared for a dinner rush. Do yourself a favor, dear reader, save your money and just go...