Michaela Mendelsohn, CEO of Pollo West Corp, an Agoura Hills-based franchise company for Pollo Loco, at her Agoura Hills restaurant on August 18, 2021

AGOURA HILLS, CA - AUGUST 18: Michaela Mendelsohn, CEO of Pollo West Corp, an Agoura Hills-based franchise company for Pollo Loco, at her Agoura Hills restaurant on August 18, 2021. She owns six restaurants with 200 employees in LA and Ventura Counties. When the pandemic hit in March 2020, Mendelsohn laid off 25 workers but was able to rehire them within weeks thanks to a federal loan. Her business lost sales at the beginning of the pandemic but revenue is now 10% above pre-pandemic levels. Five of her 6 outlets have drive-through which allowed business to continue. She has avoided labor shortages by raising wages, giving bonuses to employees who kept working through the pandemic, and expanding paid time off. Nonetheless, she is concerned that new COVID variants, the failure of many to get vaccinated, expiring unemployment benefits and expiring eviction protections could set back California's economy again. El Pollo Loco on Wednesday, Aug. 18, 2021 in Agoura Hills, CA. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images).