At a glance
CleanCleaver food safety systematic review results
What happened?
86/ 100 · 14 points taken off
3 problems found · 1 marked critical · Routine county inspection · Jul 24, 2026
Is that a lot?
Most food places here got 2 to 15 points taken off. El Pollo Loco got about the same as most.
Compared with 9,600 Santa Clara County food places. Each place's last routine inspection counts.
What was found out about El Pollo Loco?
It's fair to care about this. Here's what the county found. Tap any item to see how a kitchen fixes it.
- Marked critical: Food-contact surfaces not cleaned or sanitized right K14How to fixFix it
- Sewage or wastewater not disposed of right K22How to fixFix it
- No hot or cold water at a sink K21How to fixFix it
Source: County of Santa Clara Department of Environmental Health
We review Santa Clara County health data to make this report. We are not the County of Santa Clara Department of Environmental Health.
Visit them directly at deh.santaclaracounty.gov (opens the department's site) · How we review
For El Pollo Loco's team
Is this your place?
Welcome, El Pollo Loco. We'll walk through this together, one item at a time. To log the fixes, claim El Pollo Loco first; we check that you run it.
Your whole team can help. Each person gets one next step, and everyone can see what's done.
This is my place: claim El Pollo LocoWe'll help you get every item done. You don't have to do it alone.
We know an inspection can feel heavy, especially when it's busy.
Fix it together
Follow the steps for each item, with the rule beside it.
Next: Food-contact surfaces not cleaned or sanitized rightThe county found: “The sanitizer concentration on the kitchen's three compartment warewash sink was measured at 0 ppm quaternary ammonia…”
First step: Clean first, then sanitize
Then the next one: Sewage or wastewater not disposed of right
Log it
Your team logs the fix on their phones, with the time and who did it.
Show what you did
Saying what you fixed, in your own words, builds trust. Families and regulars respect a kitchen that owns it and fixes it.
Each fix step comes from the rule it names: Food Code 4-603.16, Food Code 2-301.15.
Try it yourself
Fix and log it: Food-contact surfaces not cleaned or sanitized right
A practice run. Nothing is saved. Tap each step when it's done.
0 of 3 done
Clean first, then sanitize
From Food Code 4-603.16
Logged
That's one done. We'll be here for the next.
What people see now
Today, people see the department's words and nothing from you.
What people see after you fix and log it
Example reply
CleanCleaverBusiness reply
Your business replied to this with the public statement:
We fixed this the same day. Now our team logs it on their phones at open and close.
The date of your reply
This is not an official update to the health inspection report. The county's record is unchanged.
Most kitchens get something cited at some point. What people remember is that you fixed it.
Want to join the restaurants in Santa Clara County that keep their kitchens clean and put their guests' health first?
Claim El Pollo LocoWe'll set it up with you. 25 days free.
Replies are part of a paid plan. We read each one before it goes up. You can take it down any time. Only the department can change its record.
Do you work there, and someone else owns it? I work there
What people see next
Under each item here, people see what you fixed, in your words.
Left alone, or fixed together
Left alone, the same items can come back at the next inspection. Fixed together, they're done.
Not your place?
CleanCleaver puts these same items on your team's phones, with the rule beside each one. Your binder is ready when the inspector is.
25 days free. Cancel anytime.
Inspections
From County of Santa Clara Department of Environmental Health · 5 inspections on record · Last checked Oct 6, 2026
The county visited 2 times in the last 12 months (2 routine).
Every visit
LatestJul 24, 2026Routine inspection86 out of 100 (Green placard)
This one: 86 out of 100 (Green placard), inspected Jul 24, 2026.
3 violations listed, 1 marked critical.
Critical (1)
Marked critical by County of Santa Clara Department of Environmental Health
Food-contact surfaces not cleaned or sanitized right
The department's words
K14 Food contact surfaces clean, sanitized
The sanitizer concentration on the kitchen's three compartment warewash sink was measured at 0 ppm quaternary ammonia sanitizer. [CA] Whenever sanitizing utensils/equipment is conducted using a three compartment warewash sink, there must be a 100-ppm residual chlorine or 200 ppm quaternary ammonia sanitizer level on the sanitizing compartment. The person in charge refilled one sink of the warewash sink with lukewarm water and added bleach manually to create a 100-ppm chlorine solution to sanitize the utensils (COS).
Critical items are the ones most likely to make someone sick. This one comes first. Here's how a kitchen fixes it.
Food Code 4-602.11
How can a restaurant or home fix this?
Clean first, then sanitize
- 1. Scrape off food.
- 2. Wash with detergent and warm water.
- 3. Rinse off the soap (soap weakens sanitizer).
From Food Code 4-603.16
When to clean food-contact surfaces
4 more steps in the full guide Read the free guide
Cleaning vs sanitizing, and sanitizer strengths
The full guide has 4 more parts. Sign up to open the full guide in the app.
Are you El Pollo Loco? Fix it
Not critical (2)
Sewage or wastewater not disposed of right
The department's words
K22 Sewage and wastewater properly disposed
There is a very slow drain from the floor drain located below the three compartment warewash sink. [CA] Fix the drainage issue on the floor sink immediately.
No hot or cold water at a sink
The department's words
K21 Hot and cold water available
The maximum water temperature on the manual three compartment wash sink was measured at 110 oF. [CA] Adjust the water heater temperature to raise the water temperature on the manual three compartments sink to 120 oF.
Food Code 5-103.11
How can a restaurant or home fix this?
In CleanCleaver: Log hand sink and dish water temperatures
Hot and cold water at every sink
In CleanCleaver: Log hand sink and dish water temperatures
Are you El Pollo Loco? Fix it
EarlierDec 19, 2025Routine inspection92 out of 100 (Green placard)
3 violations listed, 0 marked critical.
Not critical (3)
No hot or cold water at a sink
The department's words
K21 Hot and cold water available
The maximum water temperature on the preparation sink was measured at 100 oF. [CA] Raise the water temperature on the preparation sink to 120 oF immediately.
Shelves and surfaces need cleaning
The department's words
K33 Nonfood contact surfaces clean
There are some gaps between the screens of the exhaust vent. [CA] To capture all the grease and steam produced by the cooking equipment by the exhaust vent, please seal the gaps immediately.
Food-contact surfaces not cleaned or sanitized right
The department's words
K14 Food contact surfaces clean, sanitized
Some freshly rewashed utensils were stacked together on the utensil storage shelf. [CA] Air dry all clean utensils before staking them together.
EarlierJul 9, 2025Routine inspection100 out of 100 (Green placard)
No violations listed in the data.
EarlierDec 27, 2024Follow-up inspectionGreen placard
1 violation listed, 0 marked critical.
Not critical (1)
No hot or cold water at a sink
The department's words
K21 Hot and cold water available
The maximum warm water temperature on the handwash sink located by the preparation sink was measured at 65 OF. [CA] Raise the water temperature on the handwash sink to 100 ppm immediately.
EarlierDec 24, 2024Routine inspection79 out of 100 (Yellow placard)
4 violations listed, 2 marked critical.
Critical (2)
Marked critical by County of Santa Clara Department of Environmental Health
The department's words
K06 Adequate handwash facilities supplied, accessible
There was no soap supply on the handwash station located by the preparation sink. [CA] Refill the wall-mounted soap dispenser immediately. Until the wall-mounted soap dispenser is refilled/fixed, provide a pump-type soap dispenser. The facility manager provided a pump-type soap dispenser (COS).
Critical items are the ones most likely to make someone sick. This one comes first. Here's how a kitchen fixes it.
Marked critical by County of Santa Clara Department of Environmental Health
No hot or cold water at a sink
The department's words
K21 Hot and cold water available
The maximum water temperature on the manual three compartment wash sink was varying between 80 oF and 98 oF. [CA] Adjust the water heater temperature to raise the water temperature on the manual three compartments sink to 120 oF. A maintenance person was called and adjusted the temperature to 120 oF (COS). The maximum warm water temperature on the handwash sink was measured at 65 OF. [CA] Raise the water temperature on the handwash sink to 100 ppm immediately.
Critical items are the ones most likely to make someone sick. This one comes first. Here's how a kitchen fixes it.
Not critical (2)
Floors, walls or ceilings need cleaning or repair
The department's words
K45 Floor, walls, ceilings: built,maintained, clean
The ceiling structure that opens into the roof was open to remove the steam created in the cooking area. [CA] To prevent insect or rodent infestation, please keep the opening always closed.
Food-contact surfaces not cleaned or sanitized right
The department's words
K14 Food contact surfaces clean, sanitized
Some recently washed utensils were stacked together on the utensil storage shelf. [CA] Air dry all clean utensils before staking them together.
Source: County of Santa Clara Department of Environmental Health. This is the department's data, not CleanCleaver's. See the department's full record (opens the department's site)
What you can do
As a customer of El Pollo Loco, you can:
Learn how these get fixed
Free, step-by-step guides for each item.
- Food-contact surfaces not cleaned or sanitized right Read the free guide
- No hot or cold water at a sink In CleanCleaver: Log hand sink and dish water temperatures
Call El Pollo Loco
Ask for the manager. El Pollo Loco can only fix what it knows about.
Share this page
Use CleanCleaver at home
Families clean together. Chores and food dates for everyone at home.
Complain directly to the health department
We are not the health department. You can report to them on their site. Report to County of Santa Clara Department of Environmental Health (opens the department's site)
When regulars speak up kindly and kitchens fix things, the whole neighborhood eats well. Now you know what the inspector found, and what you can do about it.
Do you work at or run El Pollo Loco?
See the plan to fix each item and show what you did.
Address thisAbout this record
Opens the county's own page for this place.
Most people don't know what a normal result looks like for a place that's open every day. The ranges use each place's last routine inspection in this area. No other county is mixed in.
100 means the inspector found no problems. Santa Clara County takes points off for each problem. Big ones take off more.
The county posts a green, yellow or red placard after each inspection, and gives routine inspections a score. In the county's data, a routine inspection with no violations listed scored 100, and the score drops as violations are found. The county's page does not say which scores or findings give each color: ask the department.
- Inspection type
- Routine inspection
- Result
- 86 out of 100 (Green placard)
- Source
- County of Santa Clara Department of Environmental Health
This is not an official ranking or grade. See the official source: County of Santa Clara Department of Environmental Health (opens the department's site) .
Information on this page may be out of date. Check the original source to confirm.