As soon as I turned 16 I walked up the road to apply at Wendy's Hamburgers where I spent six months toasting buns, smearing mayonnaise, and multitasking like mad as a drive through attendant. The worst of it was dismantling the gigantic salad bar which had about 55 tubs of salad fixings plus as much ice as three cattle troughs. The second worst of it was when my friends chose to steal all the signage and got busted by my feisty manager who then forced me to call my friends to return the loot. Through the sweat and slipping on fryer grease, my fondness for Wendy's blossomed well beyond my love of the Jr. Bacon Cheeseburger.
But now my fast-food preference is leaning toward El Pollo Loco, mostly because they serve chicken and it's healthy. The chicken salad is basic and satisfactory, which I like. Real grilled chicken is delicious. The salsa is fresh and the employees at this store are generous with it. The chicken tortilla soup is probably one of the best I have ever had.
At first I was afraid of El Pollo Loco because I thought it might be like Taco Bell or, worse, Carl's Jr (the brand color palettes are similar).
El Pollo Loco food is good. The drive through is fast. And they take debit cards. A meal for three is $23 or less. What more can you ask for from a fast-food restaurant? Maybe a little more veggies on the salad, but that's about it.