I'll start by saying we really like El Pollo Loco and go here often. However, I'm tired of dealing with the same issue at this location and if the owner doesn't fix it I'm going to quit going here. Also, witnessed another disgusting issue here last night that others should be aware of.
First, the issue that I experience every time we go here for dinner. We arrive around 6pm which is prime time dinner time. EVERY TIME the largest portion of the seating area is blocked off and everyone is jammed in the little section over by the drinks. There were so many people last night that customers were bypassing the blockade they put up so they would have a place to sit. I've never been in this location when they don't have the largest side blocked off. Why would they close off the largest section of seating area at dinner time with 5 hours until they close? They also turn around the garbage cans and only leave one usable at the front door so you have to carry your garbage through the entire restaurant to throw it away. This is just laziness so the employees don't have to clean the entire place at closing.
The second issue, which appeared to be done by the manager (heavy-set Mexican woman in red shirt), needs to be addressed immediately. A customer ordered a family meal that came with tortillas, the customer took their meal to the table and started eating their meal for about five minutes and then noticed they were given the wrong tortillas. They took the tortillas back up to the counter and asked for the correct tortillas. The manger got the correct tortillas and gave them to the customer and took the returned tortillas that had already been handled by the customer and his wife at their table and set them down on the back counter where they assemble the meals. She passed a trash can where she could have thrown them away but made a conscience decision to reuse the returned tortillas. I was standing there waiting on my meal and watched the entire thing. The manager then was assembling a to go meal and picked up the returned tortillas, looked to see how many were in there and then put the returned tortillas in the to go order and walked the order out to a car waiting in the parking lot that had been told to pull around from the drive through window.
This really needs to be addressed by the owners and until it is I'll not return to this location.