Woman is left stunned at 'crazy' price of El Pollo Loco drive-thru meal: 'I went home and made dinner'

A female was forced to alteration her meal plans aft being near stunned by nan value of an El Pollo Loco drive-thru meal.

The customer named Josie posted a TikTok video past week of her guidance complete nan 'crazy' costs of its 12-Piece Fire-Grilled Chicken Family Meal.

'I did not buy. I went location and made dinner. I was not going to get ripped off,' Josie wrote successful nan video.

The drive-thru paper publication that nan 12-piece family repast costs $43.99 contempt Josie claiming it utilized to beryllium little than $30. 

Her video has since racked successful complete 50,000 views connected TikTok, and it's presently her most-watched clip connected her account.

Josie did not place what she planned to bid earlier she caught nan value of nan family meal.

'I retrieve erstwhile nan 12-piece family repast was $12.99. Now, it's $43,' she said.

'I was okay erstwhile it was $23.99 and $28.99, but $43.99? That is crazy.'

The 12-piece family repast connected nan drive-thru paper came pinch 12 pieces of chicken, 3 ample sides, tortillas, and chips and salsa.

Customers besides person nan action to bid an 8-piece aliases 16-piece family repast alternatively of a 12.

The 8-piece repast comes pinch 8 pieces of chicken, 2 ample sides, tortillas, and chips and salsa, and consumers who acquisition nan 16-piece bid will get much chickenhearted and an other side.

The starting value for nan 8-piece family repast is $32.99, while nan 16-piece is astatine slightest $52.99, according to Grubhub.

However, prices whitethorn alteration based connected nan restaurant's location and taxes.

Juan Francisco Ochoa opened nan first El Pollo Loco edifice successful Guasave, Sinaloa, Mexico, successful 1975 and expanded to nan US 5 years later.

Today, location are astir 500 El Pollo Loco restaurants successful nan US alone.

El Pollo Loco has maintained successful operations since it first opened, but it was 1 of nan galore edifice chains that switched up its paper prices past year.

The institution announced successful a property merchandise that it made $7.5 cardinal from October to December past year, which was down from nan $9.5 cardinal it made during that clip successful 2022.

The concatenation besides vanished disconnected nan twelvemonth pinch a $14.8 cardinal successful edifice contribution, which is higher than past year's amount.

The summation was chiefly owed to amended operating efficiencies and higher paper prices, according to its news release.

El Pollo Loco besides raised its prices owed to nan summation successful California's minimum wage, which became $20 an hr for accelerated nutrient labor connected April 1.

Other TikTok users person been conscionable arsenic unhappy pinch nan 'absurd' El Pollo Loco prices.

'Their prices person gone up, and their portions person gone down. I only opt successful for their $6.00 combos now. Not spending much than that,' commented a TikToker.

Another personification wrote: 'I utilized to get nan Double Chicken Tostada Combo for $8.00 to $10.00 2 years ago. Now, nan plain classical tostada combo unsocial is $14.00. Make it make sense.'

TikTok users person besides complained astir nan hiked-up prices astatine KFC and Popeyes, and aggregate commenters insisted that Josie see boycotting accelerated nutrient restaurants.

'I boycotted a batch of accelerated nutrient restaurants since they started value gouging… Best determination I’ve made successful a while,' 1 TikToker wrote.

A fewer users suggested that consumers acquisition chickenhearted from section market aliases storage stores alternatively to prevention money.

'I'm successful Florida. I tin spell to Publix and get 8 pieces of chickenhearted for $9.99,' a TikToker wrote.