As a loyal fan of El Pollo Loco it is with great sadness that I write this review. This store - #5773 USED to be a very good store which operated smoothly, and provided consistent service and quality - regardless of when you visited and what you ordered. This is a case of a steep decline in service on many levels beginning roughly 5-6 months ago. Fast-forward to today, business has seriously declined... to a trickle. There are many ways of measuring business operations (metrics) in the restaurant industry. The Lunchtime drive-thru wait at this store used to be 15-20 minutes (6-10 cars) minimum. It was worth the wait because the cuisine is unique. Fast-forward to July 28... there is nobody in line during lunchtime. Without mentioning names, ID numbers, etc. one of the workers shared with me that the store recently underwent a change in management. That was the beginning of the downward spiral many Customers have experienced and discussed here. My first assumption that this was a Franchisee so Corporate would have little direct control. As it turns-out this is a CORPORATE location. Clearly the new management does not understand the concept of supply & demand, ordering supplies, planning, measuring sales ~ planning demand, staffing, and ensuring consistent and correct training and service. Add to that the increased cost of labor and you have a recipe for a disaster. The issue of receipts prevailed for several weeks because one of the senior staff members did not know how to run the cash register!! The complaints below confirm the problems with the receipts/cash register operation. It was strictly a procedural problem... nothing to do with running out of paper or a software issue. My first concern was that there was skimming going on and the restaurant would not be open much longer. In-turn, every trainee was trained incorrectly. One day, while I was in line, a Manager had to correct her and show her how to PROPERLY operate the cash register (again no names mentioned)! In-turn, this same woman did not know how to process a Rewards Coupon or to process a $1 Survey Credit. Often, the change they gave back was incorrect. One time they actually gave me a $20 bill as change for a $5 Bowl!! (Naturally, I returned the money). This is the same senior staff member who told me several times that El Pollo Loco no longer serves salsa roja.... who is the loco one here? There have been times where dark meat was put into Pollo Bowls - a no no! My guess is they probably were running short of white meat on those days. I've experienced the same BS re: tortillas. Often they give you the wrong type. A couple of times they didn't ask what type of tortillas... only to find they snuck corn chips into the order. On one occasion the restaurant actually ran out of Chicken!!! That is not a mis-print; another employee shared with me how the new Manager forgot to prepare the Chicken (marinate) the night before... this was July 4th Weekend. Maybe that is why the store closed? It seems like "Management" has been taking a siesta (and collecting a pay check). As a loyal Rewards Club Member I took the next step of complaining directly to El Pollo Loco Corporate, via telephone call (15-20 minute discussion). Because this is a Corporate store (not a Franchisee) the Home Office was very disturbed to learn of my experiences. Hopefully they read the comments of other guests and make some changes ASAP from the Corporate level down! FYI, I always order the $5 Pollo Bowl Combo. El Pollo Loco's food is EPIC, and I feel really bad to see this restaurant fall apart.... I'm concerned they will be shut down soon. I read many of the negative reviews and I can only agree. I USED to visit this store 3-5 times/week so I know of what I speak. Many of the workers know me and have opened-up to me on occasion , etc. It was clear they too were frustrated with the steep decline in service ~ change in working culture. Many loyal customers have stopped patronizing the store. Likewise some delivery services warn customers about ordering from this location. It makes sense because their reputations are on the line. Several competitors (fast-food) operate nearby and their business are thriving. This is strictly a problem of terrible service and Management's incompetence - not COVID-19. read more

Terrible Service! A rating of two stars is generous! Most of the employees act like they don't care one bit about customer service! It's pathetic. They mess up orders, lack social skills, and are constantly running out of food- rice, chicken, tortillas, salsa.. Whoever owns this location needs to spend more time managing this place. I'm done with it. UPDATE: The generic response from Jessica B. (A Robot) is comical and insulting. Instead of getting off their butts and spending time at their failing restaurant to find out why their average rating is only a 2, they want the "customer" to provide more information???? Really??? Wake up Mr or Mrs Owner! read more

We are a local company here in Camarillo and we order from many restaurants every week and this particular EL Pollo Loco has been getting worse, the last three visits has come up wanting, lacking, And the attitude of the employees is apathy. The owner should do an investigation and find out what employee is taking the moral down for the rest of the group. Missing things in phone orders and drive thru. Overall food is ok and that is why it is a 3 star. read more

Worst pollo loco I have been to They had no chicken no lids for drinks. My tortillas where hard like a rock and had no chicken. Never again don't come to This place. read more

El Pollo Loco - Mexican Near Me - Camarillo, California

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Drive thru was fast but the food tasted awful. The quality has gone downhill. Chicken tastes old and tough and lemonade tasted like dirty pipes. I threw it all away. Big disappointment from how they used to be. read more

Reluctantly I need to share this. Normally I never have a problem with this store, however today's visit was a great disappointment. Sunday, 1:30 pm. Went to drive through, was told over speakerphone that drive through is closed. But the dining room was open. Asked why couldn't the order be rung up on different register, was told by the 'manager' that's not how it works but dining room was open. We drove through parked and went inside. The kid at register must have been a new trainer, cause he was having trouble. After giving our order w a coupon, there was no receipt tape, the kid froze, went off looking for someone to change tape. The fellow who was taking drive through orders,(he had the headset on) finally came over to change rolls. Order boy not in uniform. Wearing torn raggy jjeans, dirty tee shirt, non company logo ball cap on backwards. Register kid then flushed our order and we had to give it again. Still no receipt so we were given a paper w our order number on it. ( Ok the kid is new, I can forgive, but this might be a training note.) While all this is going on, we hear that they have no forks, only spoons, there are no corn tortillas, only flour, the pico de Gallo is out, only have the avocado sauce. While we wait, some fellow comes down the ladder from the roof/attic, proceeds into the kitchen area and proceeds to dust himself off I suggest to order guy, why not move register kid to other register, aNd since he is on a headset, he use the next register as the 'drive in ' register and the in store on the spare. Was kurtly told ' can't use that register as it's not programmed the same. ' He then turned his back and walked away, leaving register kid to deal with the line now forming in the store. 3 register s, only one working and by a newbie We get food take it home, only to find 2(two) tortilla total, we had ordered a dinner for two special. I guess you only get one each.? No dressing on the salad, churros had been in the fryer too long(oil saturated ) , no napkins, no table ware. Ok, every restaurant can have a bad day, but this was the second time in as many months. Not overly impressed. They are on my 30 day probation list read more

They keep getting worst with the orders. I go here once per week and always mess my order. When I ask for salsa I never get it. When ask for something special I get it done very poorly. I'm not asking for anything free just what I paid for. Always get a nasty attitude from employees that seeing mad all the time. read more

The management needs to hire better-qualifying people and PAY MORE. This place is NOT GOOD. You can clearly see that the employees are super young, making minimum wage, and don't care, possibly don't know what they are doing. Go to El Pollo Loco in Simi Valley (First St). You will see and feel the difference. The experience between Simi Valley & Camarillo locations is night and day. You can look at the employees in Camarillo and compare them with those in Simi Valley. It's like comparing boys to men. Again, the management must pay more and hire qualifying people. That's all there is to it. But, obviously they like to keep it this way. So, that's that. read more

Customer service is very disorganized and as a result suffers. They are slow, make food incorrectly and often forget the sides and/or salsa. Extremely disappointing. Management needs to be on the floor and more engaged with staff so they are trained appropriately. Increasing staff by even one person would give them time to learn and perform the rod jobs correctly. This restaurant is a fail by mama and El Pollo Loco corporation. read more

If I could give this location negative stars, I would. I hate this El Pollo Loco location...with the combined fire of 10,000 burning suns. After a unsatisfactory visit several months, during which the drive-through attendant did not wear a face mask or gloves, and my 8-piece meal had the smallest pieces of chicken EVER, I decided to give this location another try on May 13. Big mistake. I only ordered two items for takeout: a two-piece meal with a leg, thigh and double aide order of beans, and a double protein avocado pollo fit bowl. Despite no one else being in the restaurant, it took the staff 20 minutes to give me my order. Unacceptable. In addition, when I inspected the food upon returning home, the two-piece meal included the tiniest pieces of chicken imaginable...not even substantial enough for a bird to eat. To add insult to injury, my fit bowl was supposed to include organic super greens and a double portion of chicken, and I received neither. Instead of super greens, my bowl was made with Romaine lettuce, a total fail, and there was hardly any chicken in this dish. Also unacceptable! Finally, in the dining room, the hand sanitizer dispenser was empty, so no customers could sanitize their hands while waiting. El Pollo Loco, and particularly its Camarillo, California location, really need to get its act together. For as much as the chain charges for its chicken and bowls, I expect decent size pieces and portions of chicken...as the menu and your advertising campaigns indicate. You are ripping off consumers by cheating them on portion size. Furthermore, preparing a dish, such as my fit bowl, with alternative, cheaper ingredients, such as iceberg lettuce, is a dreadful bait-and-switch tactic, and I will not let it stand. In summation, El Pollo Loco sucks...and its food and staff are the worst. read more

Why?WHY? Did I go here again? Was it because it was the only place with no line and it was getting late? Probably. Again dissapointed. Did not get order right. Simple order.I sense an " I dont care" attitude from some of these young people working there. No enthusiasm. Why dont they train them like "In n Out. " Which is where I intended to go, but line was soooo long, I failed, by ending up at pollo cuz of no line Wasnt so bad. But why, I hope, I wont go again, is the 8 dollar burrito with 3 or 4 little cubes of chicken. There is more chicken in a dollar "Del taco" Habanero taco. Pollo loco has definetly gotten chintzy. I should've remembered Del taco read more

I had an amazing experience at this particular location the one of the employees she was the manager if I remember correctly her name was Veronica. She was very sweet and extremely professional. read more

Like many of the previous recent comments I went to this location tonight only to experience the same problems that others have had. First off the front door was locked which is against Fire Code and a major violation and extremely dangerous in case of fire. Once I got to the POS station to order I waited 10 minutes and no one approached me or made eye contact and no communication even though the employee at the expo screen saw me. There were many customers waiting for their order and there were many orders that were red on there KDS screen which means that they were way behind. At this point I decided to leave and never return. I went to another local restaurant and had great service and great food. What a shame that they cannot get their act together. I don't need a canned response Jessica, as I already sent you the same comment on your company website. Just fix the problems at this location or you won't be open much longer. read more

The worst service ever Manager with a latitude with every customer inside this lady she got nachos she didn't want pic de gallo she told her to take it off what the hell. She told a other customer there's no ice. The ice machine did not have ice. She was giving everyone there's no ice..she only give them empty cups .she didn't ask if you want chips or tortillas. I was very disappointed with the service and the attitude she had with every customer... Store # 5773 399 N Los posas Camarillo ca 93010 Ticket # 243 Manger name Nelva I would never come here again..the worst service and bad attitude..it toke 30 minutes to get my order I got a email from Jessica B...your website didn't let you Submit it what's the use ????? You have all the information here ...I was reading all the sad reviews people are very disappointed with the management and Staff!!! https://www.elpolloloco.com read more

My dad and I decided to go to El Pollo Loco the other day. We get food there often but I believe this is the first time we've dined in. The staff was friendly. The food came out quick and hot and delicious. At one point the manager, Veronica came to our table just to make sure everything was to our satisfaction, and if we needed anything to improve our experience. We couldn't think of anything that could make it better than it already was, however, it was a nice, personal touch which you don't see at fast food restaurants very often. Oh yeah, and Veronica had such a lovely smile, it would've been impossible not to feel welcome. Will definitely be going back and dining inside again. read more

I stopped and bought their new double chicken bowl salad today. Omg it's to die for. Beyond excellent flavor and fresh taste. The best fast food I've had in a long while. Absolutely delicious.! I almost never eat at FF restaurants but this may change my mind. Delicious!! read more

Ordered the 20pc family meal from El Pollo Loco on Las Posas the other day. The process through the app was easy. They immediately send a text via Postmates so you can track your order. We live at CSUCI, and not many places deliver out here, hence the delivery fee of $7, but that's fine. I had my doubts, but the food showed up almost to the minute of the ETA and it was sealed in a delivery bag. Everything was packaged neatly and piping hot. They had a deal for the 12pc of $20. So after delivery, tax and tip it was just under $40. Not bad for enough food to feed my wife and I two dinners and a lunch. read more

El Pollo Loco - Mexican Near Me - Camarillo, California

Ok so sign says open Untill 9:30 but doors are locked people inside are dining I'm standing at the door with my wife and the cashiers clearly see us waving at them but just ignore us. Wow simple acknowledgement would be nice. A simple explanation. read more

the food is awesome and the customer service is beyond amazing. I had the pleasure of tasting their new shrimp and chicken tostada beyond amazing and super fresh. read more

I have loved el pollo loco since I was a kid (before they changed their rice!) there is just something about the flavor of the chicken I cannot stay away from. It also doesn't hurt they offer $5 combos. This particular location is decent. Sometimes I get amazing food and other times it looks sloppy, but it is always fresh! My order is always correct, too. I think my biggest complaint (and the reason for -1 star) is they have a salsa/dressing issue. The sides of salsa always seem to be half full, and sometimes not even that! I also love the creamy cilantro dressing, but those too come half full (or less) very often. Sometimes the creamy cilantro is thick (yummy) and other times it's super watery. I'm not sure if this is all done on purpose or if it's a quality control issue, but it can be frustrating to get home and not have a good salsa or dressing to accompany the rest of the food. read more

El Pollo Loco - Sloppy, hardly any chicken, but still yummy - Mexican Near Me - Camarillo, California

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Most people have already tried El Pollo Loco and know they have that magic recipe for delicious chicken cooked in a healthy manner. We noticed that the size of the chicken pieces have shrunk over the last several years, but that's been true everywhere... Smaller portions, higher prices.... It's to be expected. You just can't find that flavor anywhere else. read more

I love pollo loco especially the green salsa. We have a rather large family and I ordered the 16 mixed piece with rice, and a side of rice. pinto beans, and Mac and cheese. Of course green and red salsa. I get home and there was no salsa, the tubs were not filled and the small side of rice wasn't filled . I was so disappointed in this pollo loco. It definitely doesn't hold the standard other pollo locos hold so high. I'll never go back to this disappointing pollo loco read more

I eat here so much for the quick healthy meals, but every every single time they get my order wrong and the customer service is the worst! The manager is nice and has helped several times but the rest of the staff doesn't care, has bad attitudes, fight with you for everything And always get my order wrong, today had my order delivered and once again no sauces and wrong order So frustrating read more

Read the reviews and really should have not came here but I went anyways. This place needs to close down... never visiting any pollo loco location ever!!! Also the cashier doesn't know how to use his tongue to talk . Mac and cheese feels old and reheated and mashed, oh and the churros, never seen any like these soggy sticks. read more

Honestly, they always get our order wrong at this pollo loco, whether we go on the drive thru, order in person, or through the app, but this last time I went and BELIEVE ME, if there's a person you want to talk to, that is Mayeli! She is great, understanding, and will provide the best customer service possible. The manager is good, but Mayeli is The Best! read more

Worst El Pollo Loco I've ever been to. I keep hoping it will get better but it never does. Order is rarely correct and food is not fresh. Tonight they forgot part of my order but as usual, no one ever answers the phone to tell them I was charged for 2 salads I didn't receive. If I could give it Zero stars I would. read more

This location makes good chicken, but don't bother ordering online. My order was missing about $5 worth of food, and another item was incorrect. Not the end of the world, but the restaurant doesn't answer the phone, and EPL doesn't respond to messages sent through their system (two messages sent and it's been a few days, so I'm assuming they are ignoring me). There is no way to report a problem with an order (except by phone, which they don't answer). This is completely unacceptable. They basically build theft and bait-and-switch right into their online order system. The Camarillo location must have some pretty abysmal management to allow this situation to occur, and corporate apparently isn't any better, based on my experience trying to reach customer service. I really liked El Pollo Loco before this experience. It's very sad that they are driving customers away with ridiculously poor customer service. read more

I don't even know where to begin. I'm disheartened by my recent el pollo loco visit to this location. I get to my favorite place on earth readily waiting for the luscious commodity that is a 5 dollar pollo bowl. I had to wait 6 minutes for someone to even look in my direction and take my order. when my order was done they just sat it down on the counter and left. I was left with one sauce and spoon, couldn't even enjoy my now six dollar bowl with a fork. I go to the counter and wait for just ONE more sauce and not a soul came to help me. but I digress, I go down to indulge and everything about my bowl was subpar. truly heartbreaking. The rice seemed day old, the chicken gray and dry and to repeat I had to eat this monstrosity with a SPOON and ONE sauce. I eat one chip and to add salt to my ever growing wound, the chips were stale. this ruined my day even more, right before this i had to leave a THRIFT store because I was so broke. and I had to pay 6.42 for my "food" truly heart-rending. And to top it all off rod wave and sza are still making music. read more

I'm giving this location one star for these reasons. I came by at 10:30a.m. and the doors were locked when it opens at 10:00a.m. I tried both doors and they were locked with employees inside. There was two other customers waiting outside. When the employee opened the door finally he apologized that the doors were locked. I get in line and three staff are talking by the chicken being cooked. (They never looked back to see three customers waiting to order) The employee who opened the door said, "someone will be right with you and walked away" Nobody helped any of us. Then to make matters even worse the employee who opened the door talks to the employees by the chicken about helping the customers, then the other staff tells him they have no chicken ready to be served. He then tells all the customers waiting that they don't have any chicken ready, but we can order burritos? C'mon man! Worst customer service ever! All three of us customers walked out after that.... El pollo loco needs to train these employees on customer service and how to meal prep before opening. read more

Came to the location during opened hours, proceeded to wait in line for about 20 minutes just to get to the front to order and have us say they are closed. After telling them that they don't close for another 15 minutes they just ignored us.. terrible service honestly. read more

Love the chicken here and all the great deals they have. It's fast food people the service is what it is.

The best El Pollo!!! Chicken is always so fresh and delicious! Great staff & location is easy.

Horrible! Horrible service !! Stuck in drive thru 15 mins. Do they ever have a manager in charge??!

Went through the drive through yesterday evening it was very busy, had to wait along time for my food. I was very frustrated because it was taking so long. The girl at the window was very nice and kept apologizing for me having to wait so long. Her name was Vivianna, I think she was knew but she held it together very well and because of her being so nice and sweet it made me change my attitude. The food was very fresh and delicious so because of that i will give them 5 stars. read more

We ordered 2 of the Grande Avocado Chicken bowls. The chicken was crumbled dark meat nothing close to the cubed white grilled meat as shown on the website or the mailer we received. We ordered guacamole and chips too. Also a bust, chips were chewy and guacamole brown even though plenty of tomatoes. This store is often disappointing. read more

I had a bad feeling the moment I walked in the front door, I should of trusted my instincts. The dining area was dirty and no one was inside or even parked out front. The first two tables facing me had trash all over them. We then walked to the counter to order and get our drinks. As we walked towards the tables there was another booth that had food all over it as well as the floor around it. During the entire time we were there and ate our food, not a single employee entered the dining area to wipe down anything. Sadly I felt sick to my stomach that evening and into the next day. Seems like cleaning is NOT a priority at this establishment. I'm better today, but will not be going back. read more

I usually like Pollo Loco, and have purchased and ate at many locations. This location specifically has the most disgusting food ever. I came here for a lunch break on Sunday, When I got to work (5mins later) I noticed my nachos were missing the Main ingredient CHEESE, and had a excess liquid from the beans. This caused all my chips to be soggy. As you can tell from the photo it was not appetizing whatsoever. I was the only car in the drive thru, so being busy was not an excuse! There are many other restaurants in this area so if you can, AVOID THIS LOCATION AT ALL COSTS!!! read more

El Pollo Loco - Excess water from the beans, and soggy chips! They even forgot the cheese in my nachos !!!! - Mexican Near Me - Camarillo, California

Food was pretty good. New enchiladas were a little on the cold side Haven't been here in a while so refreshing to see a remodeled interior. Big issue tonight. The wait was extraordinarily long. 25 minutes to get food. They were out of Mac and cheese and the wait for chicken was 15-20 minutes after we already ordered I overheard the cashier telling new customers. The cashier was completely overwhelmed as the manager sat in the dining area eating her salad...oblivious to the absolutely unclean food prep area and to the lack of planning on her staffs part for having enough food going read more

El Pollo Loco - Unacceptable cleanliness - Mexican Near Me - Camarillo, California

I can't believe this people won't take orders from bigger vehicles. "Only Drive through" they said how are we supposed to get food than? So disappointed. read more

I will never visit this business again. I have never received a more pathetic meal in my life. It literally looked like they had gone thru the garbage and yesterday's leftovers to fill our order. I realize everything has been tough during Covid, but if you can't serve your customers edible food, shut it down and walk away. read more