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Big lines today for El Pollo Loco 2-chicken freebie
April 28th, 2009, 1:55 pm · 36 Comments · posted by Nancy Luna, Staff Writer
El Pollo Loco seems to have won Round 1 in the initial battle of the birds contest with KFC.
While all was quiet yesterday when KFC was giving away its free grilled chicken, I’m hearing reports today of long lines at El Pollo Loco restaurants in Orange County. The Costa Mesa-based chain is giving away two pieces of chicken (a leg and thigh) until 8 p.m. today. (5:30 p.m. update: KFC punches back, responds to EPL giveaway)
The offer is good for dine-in only, so don’t bother getting in a drive-through.
Inside lines at El Pollo Loco in Orange
I just got back from an El Pollo Loco in Orange, where the parking lot was jammed as cars tried to find a spot. To control lines inside the restaurant, customers were forced to wait outside. Still, my store seemed to be prepared. I got in and out within 15 minutes.
While waiting for my meal, I chatted with Jacob, Brenda and Miguel Alvarado. The family (shown above) didn’t know about the deal, but was happy to take advantage.
“We lucked out,” said Miguel.
El Pollo Loco said the chain was “thrilled” with the popularity of the Taste the Fire event, an expensive marketing tactic aimed at deflecting buzz away from KFC’s new grilled chicken.
“It’s all hands on deck today in our restaurants and we expect to be able to handle the crowds,” El Pollo Loco spokeswoman Julie Weeks said.
In case restaurants run out of chicken, which is not likely, Weeks said restaurants are prepared to issue “rain checks” just in case.
Tip: For $1, El Pollo Loco will add a small side or small drink to your Freebie Meal today.
Baskin-Robbins freebie alert: Don’t forget: On April 29, Baskin-Robbins will offer customers a 2.5 ounce scoop of ice cream for 31 cents. Deal good from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. Store locations.
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I got both monday and tuesday freebies. I gotta say el pollo loco staff was really nice and organized. Sometimes the staff and mngrs at other companies can be grumpy when it comes to freebies. i went around 1:30 at a HB location and Yes, a line formed outside because it would’ve been a fire hazard to have such a long extending line within the store and then extending out the door. After this, taste wise, I still prefer el pollo loco chicken over KGC for “healthy” chicken. I would only get Kentucky grilled chicken if i was already at KFC for the fried stuff…
LP: Was it busy at KFC when you went yesterday?
It was dead when I got my free KFC grilled chicken. Nobody seemed to know or care about the giveaway. All I got a measly little drumstick and it was just too salty and bland at the same time. I honestly don’t even know why KFC even bothered with this grilled chicken idea.
KFC says they had HUGE lines, and responded to my above post today. See what they said here: http://fastfood.freedomblogging.com/2009/04/28/kfc-punches-back-at-el-pollo-loco-maven/19381/
Took 15 minutes for EPL. I went to a KFC in westminster around 4pm, a bunch of high school students and kids, very congested inside. It was about a 15 minute wait as well but it seemed like much longer because at EPL I was scooping salsa, so there seemed to be less standing time, also, they weren’t as organized as EPL. All the staff was behind the counter and the self-serve condiments were all gone. However, KFC did except an expired coupon i had, no questions asked.
After the wait, they are great at amazingly fast service!!! And, darn, that flame grilled, citrus marinated El Pollo Loco chicken is finger lickin’ good.
Might as well finish it all up with some fabulicious fresh cupcakes from the brand new DivineDessertsEtc at 27261 La Paz down in Laguna Niguel (949)305-3355. If I’m not mistaken, they are offering free shots of frosting today too…
Free frosting shots! Too bad, I’m so far away….
They’re free for you anytime, Nancy…
Just mention code word “Super T” to Todd and Leslie, the owners. Racing jargon only they will understand.
Both KFC and El Pollo are gross.
Got to agree with you, if I want good grilled chicken I go to Pollo Norteno
I, too, hit the KFC and EPL freebies yesterday and today, respectively. I visited the KFC on Harbor in CM. The drive-thru was actually busier than inside when I arrived, but a line did form inside when I left. I had actually tried the grilled chicken last week and thought it was OK. Same thing yesterday. But I must say the service was pretty below average — when my order was ready, there was no cup for my drink and no fork for my cole slaw. I had to ask for both.
Different story at EPL today. Visited the one at Jeffrey/Alton in Irvine. Arrived at 11:45am with a line outside of about 15 people. Very organized as they let in 10 people at a time. From the time I arrived until the time I got my food, it was about 20 mins. As usual, the chicken met my expectations.
For me, the place to go for fried chicken is KFC. For flamebroiled chicken, it’s EPL. And for the chicken sandwiches, it’s Chick-fil-A.
It’s all about Popeye’s for fried chicken!
I agree with round one going to el pollo loco.
I went to both promos (KFC in Laguna Niguel and EPL in Aliso Viejo) @ 11:30AM. KFC was dead with no line and EPL had a line snaking outside I’d guestimate at about 50 people waiting. EPL was about a 25 minute wait but well worth it in my opinion as it won my taste test hands down.
kfe layed a egg–it will be changed or off the marked in 90 days
Sadly the McFatties do not understand “opportunity cost”. Go pay the $3.50 and stop wasting your time sitting in line.
this is so dumb.
Then why did you bother to even post?
I post ’cause I love The El PolloLoco, and they love me…
Went to EPL for lunch today and was met by a line of 30 chicken/freebie lovers. Thankfully, the personnel inside was organized and kept the line moving relatively quick. I must add that they are selling small drinks and side orders for $1 each so you can fill up for cheap today. The staff was courteous and as always enjoyed their flame broiled chicken.
I should say flame grilled instead of broiled…that would detract from the healthy aspect. LOL
At KGC even customers in the drive-thru got 4 free pieces of the grilled chicken with a family meal purchase. The grilled chicken was pretty good & I would buy it. I stil think El Pollo Loco is better though…
I thought bothEPL & KFC were tasty but I am not sure what seasonings KFC is putting on theirs. It was sorta like a sandpaper coating on the skin. Weird but tasty. I still prefer EPL because you can’t beat the tortillas, salsa and stuff.
The KFC in Lake Forest was empty and the EPL across the street today was jammed!
I went to the EPL in Diamond Bar at around 11:10am and there were 11 people in front of me standing outside waiting. About 5 people were in line inside the restaurant. At first, I was almost going to leave and eat someplace else after seeing the line outside. However, I was very glad that I stayed in line because the employees were very efficient and I ended up waiting only about 10-15 minutes before I got my food. I noticed that there were several more employees today than usual and every single employee had a smile on their face and offered extremely quick and polite service. I am a regular at EPL and this event was definitely worth checking out if you have never tried their flame-grilled chicken. As a registered dietitian, I value healthier fast food options that are served at restaurants such as EPL. Their chicken meals are generally lower in saturated fat and calories than other fast food restaurants. Delectable, healthy, and great service…it’s hard to beat that.
Both locations, KFC and EPL, by my work (Downtown Los Angeles) did not participate in the promotions. So much for the “give-away”. I suspect that both locations did not participate because of the homeless population in the immediate area, which I understand. Both stores are for profit companies. But it would have been nice to at least sample the items in accordance with their national advertisement.
For the record…the KFC by my house also did not have grilled chicken, nor did they know when they will have the chicken available. This is the second time in the last two weeks I have gone to sample the grilled chicken. I do not know if this is a KFC supply issue, or if the employees are as bright as the chickens they serve (or lack thereof).
FYI, KFC charged me the full price for a small side ($1.99) but other than that, it was great.
Hey, Nancy:
I hit five of the EPLs in OC (Los Al, Cypress, Westminster, GG and Stanton) and the lines were pretty long, but pretty quick, at all of them. Fastest were the Cypress and Los Al, slowest was GG and Stanton - Stanton ran out of chicken (20-minute wait, they reported) but offered rain checks.
See you Friday!
Went to the Irvine store around 11:30 AM. Thee was a line but only took me 15 minutes from getting in line to pick up my food. EPL is well prepared for this promotion and the staffs were very friendly even though I did not order any sides/drink.
Will go back again after the promotion.
I go to El Pollo about once a month. Every time I go they short me one or two pieces. I never bother to open up the box and count at the counter but when I’m home eating, most of the time I’m shorted a piece. I never had that problem at KFC. I’m not leaning on either side, I’m just stating my experience.
I went to the Tustin EPL in the Tustin Marketplace off Jamboree around 5:00 p.m.
There was a huge line almost 1/2 block long out the door. I didn’t go n for the freebie, but went through the drive-thru to buy a pollo bowl combo.
I wanted to buy a 4 piece meal, but they were out of white meat.
I usually go to EPL about 2-3 x per month. All of the commercials in the past few days got me craving their chicken, so advertising works.
I ‘m not too interested in trying KFC’s new grilled chicken after reading so many neutral reviews about it.
Since some people are on the topic of freebies and fat…Free Domino’s pasta bread bowl tomorrow, call ahead/order online and you don’t waste your time.
I skipped the EPL giveaway today, I know how their chicken tastes.
Seems a little desperate to me and after-the-fact, hope they don’t go out of business. I guess I would feel threatened too if someone was encroaching on my grilled chicken market.
I introduced the KGC to my wife last night and surprisingly she thought it was great. She also loves the sides. Again, biscuits and cole slaw are the best in the biz.
Is this challenge really about grilled chicken, or about Mexican vs American/Southern food? I think because of their sides (biscuits vs tortillas, salsa vs hot sauce) they are quite different. Depending on the craving, I see myself enjoying both KGC or EPL’s “half-baked, grilled” chicken. But that’s just me.
El Pollo Loco RAN OUT OF CHICKEN!!!!
Waste of time driving there! Terrible way to get customers.
I went to the El Pollo Loco in Irvine (Jamboree and Barranca) and they were not prepared. They didn’t have lines set up for ordering and picking up food. They stopped taking orders for anything at 6 PM. They said they would not take any more orders for 30 minutes and it would be an hour to an hour and 15 minutes before anyone else would get served. There were about 20 people in line and some wanted to buy dinner. I had to leave. It was a mess.
EPL at Irvine Bld. & Sand Canyon was out of chicken at 7:00 but was passing out free coupons to be redeemed for 2 free pieces between now and Sept. 30th. Great customer service & I didn’t have to deal with the lines. Definitely adds to my customer loyalty for EPL!
I hit both places. No line at the KFC/T.Bell in Irvine on Culver and Irvine Center. The Kentucky Grilled Chicken was odd. It tasted fried to me. The skill wasn’t like it was grilled. Not sure what they did to it but it was not grilled. Overall the taste was ok, but again, it was because it still tasted fried.
Hit EPL with my wife and son, in MV off La Paz. The wait to order wasn’t bad, 10-15 min tops but the wait to get your food was like 45 minutes. Oh well, no complaints for the free food. I love that they did $1 sides and drinks too. KFC didn’t do anything like that.
EPL wins.
Eating 2 pieces of chicken makes you obese?