For more than twenty years, El Pollo Loco has been providing outstanding career opportunities to thousands of people. We are a company of dedicated restaurant professionals who are as passionate about our people as we are about our “Perfect Pollo.” Talented and dedicated cooks, cashiers, restaurant managers, accountants, human resources managers and many other accomplished people are the keys to keeping El Pollo Loco the very best restaurant company we can be.

Just ask our raving fans. El Pollo Loco customers rave about our citrus-marinated, flame-grilled chicken, not only because it tastes great, but because it’s good for you, too. Our employees rave about the challenging and fun El Pollo Loco environment, where hard work and a constant commitment to quality are encouraged, recognized and rewarded.

Carlos
Area Leader

“I joined the El Pollo Loco team while I was in high school. I worked part time as a drive-thru cashier for a few months before graduation. During that time, I learned about the management training program and although I had only been there for four months, I decided to sign up.”

Since entering our management program in 1989, Carlos has risen quickly with the company – as assistant manager, restaurant general manager, multi-unit supervisor for a franchise group, operations coordinator – to his current position as Area Leader with supervision over nine restaurants. Along the way, Carlos had a very exciting assignment as part of our Opening Training Team, helping to get new El Pollo Loco crew members off to a fast start at 12 new restaurant openings in just six months!

“I just fell in love with the learning process at El Pollo Loco,” says Carlos. “A key to success in the restaurant business is constant learning – when you stop learning, you stop growing. I feel that the learning process is like planting a tree. It can be hard work at first to get everything off to a good, solid start, but when your efforts start to bear fruit, there’s nothing better. And the ‘fruits’ of a strong teaching program are the well trained, and successful, crew members and managers at El Pollo Loco.”

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“My guests here at El Pollo Loco feel like a part of my family. Over the years I have met so many wonderful people. I love to learn their names, meet their kids, help them to have a great time here in my restaurant.”

Viveca joined the El Pollo Loco family in 1990 while she was just starting her college education. Beginning as cashier, she soon moved into management, first as Shift Leader and then Restaurant Manager after only two years. While Viveca spends much of her time with her “extended” El Pollo Loco family, she still is pursuing her college degree dreams while managing to raise an active 6-year-old son!

“I have always found it easy to meet people,” says Viveca. “That’s the best part of my job here at El Pollo Loco. I have made so many friends… crew members, fellow managers, supervisors. This is such a stable working environment that allows relationships to become strong and lasting. But I really love my guests and will do anything to keep them happy and coming back to see us again and again!”

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”I’ve been with El Pollo Loco for six years, and it’s everything I need in a part-time job. Sure, I enjoy the extra income, but what I wanted most was to find something that I was happy doing and that gave me a sense of accomplishment at the end of the day. I’m really happy to be part of the team here at El Pollo Loco.”
And our guests are happy you’re a part of El Pollo Loco, too, Ellen. As a cashier, Ellen is a mainstay of the crew that stresses total satisfaction, every guest, every visit. In fact, Ellen considers herself more than just an “order taker” – she likes to say she’s in charge of “customer relations.” She knows that our guests have made a choice to come to El Pollo Loco, and Ellen does everything she can to let her guests know they made the right choice. Said one guest, “Ellen is the reason a lot of us keep coming back to El Pollo Loco!”
There are lots of crew members just like Ellen throughout the El Pollo Loco family who have found a friendly, rewarding job experience in our restaurants. Drop by your neighborhood El Pollo Loco restaurant today and see how you can become a member of our team.

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”El Pollo Loco opened up a whole world of career possibilities for me. All I had to do was choose the path that was right for me and take advantage of the leadership and guidance I was offered. It was all there for me!”

Back in 1987, Phong joined the El Pollo Loco team as a part-time “tortilla flipper.” Although he was happy to work behind the scenes, he soon took the opportunity to move to the “front of the house” as cashier where his hard work and dependability caught the eye of management. On his 18th birthday Phong joined the management training program and hasn’t looked back since. During his El Pollo Loco career, Phong has worked with restaurants in such diverse areas as Northern California, Los Angeles and Orange County… not to mention helping open locations in Japan and the Philippines. Talk about getting around!

Phong knows first-hand the opportunities that El Pollo Loco has to offer. “If you are looking for a career with endless variety, unlimited potential, and recognition of personal achievements, El Pollo Loco is the place for you!”