El Pollo Loco wage and hour record at a glance
El Pollo Loco appears in 32 concluded Wage and Hour Division investigations in California, closed between Dec 31, 2002 and Feb 6, 2022. 20 of them found violations, 243 in all, and the employer agreed to pay $170,447 in back wages to 214 workers, plus $16,027 in civil money penalties. Of the back wages, $168,297 was unpaid overtime and $2,150 unpaid minimum wage under the federal standard. The largest single case closed Apr 30, 2014 in La Mirada with $26,807 for 9 workers. The Division flagged one case as repeat or willful. 7 minors were involved in child labor findings. That places the employer at #454 of 23,910 California employers in the database by back wages.
Industry as coded by the Division: Limited-Service Restaurants. Laws involved: FLSA, FMLA, child labor.
Every case, newest first
| Case closed | Period investigated | City | Findings | Back wages | Workers paid | Penalties | Laws |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 6, 2022 | Feb 2020 to Feb 2022 | Inglewood | no violations found | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Jan 3, 2022 | Jan 2020 to Jan 2022 | Modesto | no violations found | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Jun 15, 2020 | Jun 2018 to Jun 2020 | La Habra | 18 violations | $15,859 | 16 | 0 | FLSA |
| May 23, 2018 | May 2016 to May 2018 | Oceanside | 36 violations | $15,970 | 35 | 0 | FLSA |
| Jun 20, 2017 | Jun 2015 to Jun 2017 | Lemon Grove | 4 violations | $1,744 | 3 | 0 | FLSA |
| Jun 16, 2016 | Jun 2014 to Jun 2016 | El Cajon | no violations found | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Oct 5, 2015 | Oct 2013 to Oct 2015 | Sacramento | 5 violations | $7,271 | 2 | 0 | FLSA, FMLA |
| May 13, 2015 | May 2013 to May 2015 | Santa Ana | no violations found | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| May 13, 2015 | May 2013 to May 2015 | Santa Ana | no violations found | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Apr 29, 2015 | Apr 2013 to Apr 2015 | San Diego | no violations found | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Apr 8, 2015 | Apr 2013 to Apr 2015 | San Diego | no violations found | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Apr 1, 2015 | Apr 2013 to Apr 2015 | San Diego | 2 violations | $89 | 2 | 0 | FLSA |
| Apr 1, 2015 | Apr 2013 to Apr 2015 | San Diego | no violations found | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Apr 1, 2015 | Apr 2013 to Apr 2015 | San Diego | no violations found | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Mar 18, 2015 | Mar 2013 to Mar 2015 | Tustin | 1 violation | 0 | 0 | 0 | FLSA |
| Mar 15, 2015 | Mar 2012 to Mar 2015 | Buena Park | 15 violations repeat | $20,871 | 14 | $3,927 | FLSA |
| Mar 4, 2015 | Mar 2013 to Mar 2015 | Anaheim | 3 violations | $1,688 | 3 | 0 | FLSA |
| Mar 4, 2015 | Mar 2013 to Mar 2015 | Santa Ana | 5 violations | $498 | 5 | 0 | FLSA |
| Feb 28, 2015 | Mar 2013 to Feb 2015 | Paramount | 19 violations | $11,071 | 18 | 0 | FLSA |
| Feb 28, 2015 | Mar 2013 to Feb 2015 | Cypress | 17 violations | $10,019 | 16 | 0 | FLSA |
| Apr 30, 2014 | May 2011 to Apr 2014 | La Mirada | 10 violations | $26,807 | 9 | 0 | FLSA |
| Apr 30, 2014 | May 2011 to Apr 2014 | Los Angeles | 21 violations | $22,092 | 20 | 0 | FLSA |
| Apr 30, 2014 | May 2011 to Apr 2014 | Torrance | 23 violations | $16,326 | 22 | 0 | FLSA |
| Apr 30, 2014 | May 2011 to Apr 2014 | Hacienda Heights | 19 violations | $7,389 | 18 | 0 | FLSA |
| Dec 22, 2008 | Dec 2006 to Dec 2008 | Duarte | no violations found | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Apr 30, 2007 | Mar 2006 to Apr 2007 | El Monte | no violations found | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Mar 4, 2007 | Mar 2005 to Mar 2007 | Sacramento | 5 violations | $3,795 | 5 | 0 | FLSA |
| Apr 7, 2006 | Apr 2004 to Apr 2006 | Lakewood | 1 violation | 0 | 0 | 0 | child labor |
| Mar 1, 2006 | Mar 2004 to Mar 2006 | El Monte | 11 violations | 0 | 0 | $12,100 | FLSA, child labor |
| Nov 4, 2004 | Nov 2002 to Nov 2004 | Covina | no violations found | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Nov 3, 2004 | Nov 2002 to Nov 2004 | Baldwin Park | 1 violation | 0 | 0 | 0 | child labor |
| Dec 31, 2002 | Dec 2000 to Dec 2002 | Oceanside | 27 violations | $8,958 | 26 | 0 | FLSA |
Also filed as: BAS Food Services, Inc.; Peg-Lion LLC; San Gabriel Valley Fast Foods II, Inc.; San Gabriel Valley Fast Foods III Inc.; WKS Restaurant Corp; New Era Enterprises, LLC; San Gabriel Valley Fast Foods III Inc; Sam Gabriel Valley Fast Foods I Inc.; SR-DR1, Inc.; Shivashawn, Inc.; Shadishiva, Inc.; Shadi Investment, LLC.
Local pages: Inglewood employment lawyer, Modesto employment lawyer.
How to read this record
Each row is one federal investigation. Period investigated is the span of payroll the Division reviewed, usually two years back from the complaint. Back wages is what the employer agreed to pay for that period at the federal rate; penalties went to the government, not to workers.
Back wages computed under the federal law are usually a fraction of the California number for the same hours: the state minimum is $16.90 in 2026, overtime starts after 8 hours in a day, and each missed meal or rest period adds an hour of pay. Workers paid in these cases may still be owed that difference, and the federal release form covers only the federal claim.
Full explainer: what a Labor Department case is, and what it is not.
If you work, or worked, at El Pollo Loco
Pull together your pay stubs and your own record of hours for the last three years, request your pay records in writing (the employer has 21 days under Labor Code 226), and keep any WH-58 receipt from a Labor Department payment. A free review tells you in one call whether the California numbers exceed what was paid, whether break premiums and waiting time penalties apply, and whether anything that happened after you complained counts as retaliation. Call (800) 371-3088 or send your stubs.
Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division enforcement database, California cases. Record last checked Oct 30, 2026. Back to the wage theft tracker.
About this data: Cases come from the U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division enforcement database (WHD compliance actions concluded since fiscal year 2005, California employers only), published by the Department of Labor and reloaded here every month. "Back wages" are amounts the employer agreed to pay at the close of the investigation; "penalties" are civil money penalties assessed. An investigation that found no violation is listed as such. The database does not include California Labor Commissioner cases or private lawsuits. This page is general information, not legal advice about your situation.