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 (280) , 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?

"Some coworkers are nice" ((in 31 reviews)); "very flexible hours if you are a student" ((in 30 reviews)); "Met good people but also people who are a pain in the 😐" ((in 25 reviews)); "Free food on breaks and discounts" ((in 21 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 64 reviews)); "Fast advancement but low pay" ((in 39 reviews)); "General Manager is rude and was holding my check from me." ((in 30 reviews)); "Bad employees with bad training" ((in 14 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 11 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

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3.4

51% would recommend to a friend

(710 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 710 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

710 reviews

4.0

Jun 1, 2026

Great coworkers and free food, but always busy

Cashier

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Nice location Free food Great coworkers

Cons

Always busy Low raises There is no specifically hired for maintenance.

3.0

May 20, 2026

Easy job, but management can be tough

Cashier

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

not hard at all very easy job

Cons

managers can get on your case

4.0

May 4, 2026

Free food is nice, but customers can be intense

Cashier

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Good free food for employees

Cons

Customers were always yelling in your face

Viewing 1 - 3 of 710 Reviews

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