Does El Pollo Loco pay their employees well?

According to anonymously submitted Glassdoor reviews, El Pollo Loco employees rate their compensation and benefits as 2.9 out of 5. Find out more about salaries and benefits at El Pollo Loco. This rating has decreased by 1% over the last 12 months.

How satisfied are employees working at El Pollo Loco?

51% of El Pollo Loco employees would recommend working there to a friend based on Glassdoor reviews . Employees also rated El Pollo Loco 3.2 out of 5 for work life balance, 3.2 for culture and values and 2.9 for career opportunities.

What are the top reviewed jobs at El Pollo Loco?

Cashier (281) , Sales Associate/Cashier (31) , Shift Leader (31) , Assistant Manager (19) , Cook (19) , General Manager (17) , Front End Cashier (14) , Line Cook (10) , Prep Cook (8) , Guest Service Team Member - Cashier (6) , Shift Supervisor (6) , Crew Member (5) , Manager (5) , Part Time Cashier (5) , Service Assistant (5)

What are the pros of working at El Pollo Loco according to real employee reviews?

"very flexible hours if you are a student" ((in 30 reviews)); "Some coworkers are nice" ((in 29 reviews)); "Free food on breaks and discounts" ((in 27 reviews)); "Met good people but also people who are a pain in the 😐" ((in 24 reviews)); "The staff are friendly and kind." ((in 14 reviews))

What are the cons of working at El Pollo Loco according to real employee reviews?

"Bad management wouldn’t help when busy" ((in 63 reviews)); "Fast advancement but low pay" ((in 37 reviews)); "MY manager was rude and didn't care about anything." ((in 32 reviews)); "No benefits unless you are full time" ((in 13 reviews)); "bad upper management, hardly any employee benefits, work off the clock, doesn't follow its schedules, way overworked for the amount of pay" ((in 12 reviews))

What El Pollo Loco locations have received the highest employee ratings?

Houston , Corona , Roseville , Fresno , Las Vegas , Ontario , San Diego

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El Pollo Loco

El Pollo Loco reviews

3.4

51% would recommend to a friend

(712 total reviews)

Liz Williams

58% approve of CEO

53% positive business outlook

Ratings by category

3.4

Diversity & inclusion

3.2

Culture & values

3.2

Work/Life balance

3.1

Senior management

2.9

Compensation and benefits

2.9

Career opportunities

El Pollo Loco has an employee rating of 3.4 out of 5 stars, based on 712 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have a good working experience there. The El Pollo Loco employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Restaurants & Food Service industry (3.7 stars).

Ratings by demographic groups

Race / Ethnicity

Gender

Sexual orientation

Disability

Parent or family caregiver

Veteran status

Reviews by job title

712 reviews

3.0

Mar 23, 2026

OK first job but thats it

Prep/line cook

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Free/discounted food Cool coworkers Thats it

Cons

Low hours Terrible management Affairs within the workplace

2.0

Mar 12, 2026

Review on El Pollo Loco

Cashier

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Great work hours, fast pace atmosphere

Cons

New management and very strict time constraints.

3.0

Feb 13, 2026

Average Entry level Cashier Job

Cashier

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Anybody can get the job. Coworkers are friendly

Cons

People are rude and not enough people are scheduled for opening

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