Transplanted Chicagoans were downright giddy Tuesday at the news that Portillo’s Hot Dogs is looking to expand its restaurant chain to the Phoenix area.
Portillo’s is an icon in Chicagoland, loved and remembered by the tens of thousands of local residents who moved out of Illinois over the years to make Arizona their home.
You can include me in that bunch. I grew up eating the scrumptious Chicago-style hot dogs and Italian beef sandwiches at the local Portillo’s just a few minutes away from where my parents still live in Naperville, Ill. And yes, I went to Portillo’s for lunch when I was back to visit for Christmas. That’s just what you do when you “go back.”
Portillo’s is looking to build new restaurants at Tempe Marketplace, Chandler Fashion Center and other locations in Phoenix or Scottsdale.
When word spread of the news yesterday, I received a handful of emails and Facebook messages about the news. Al Maag, chief communications officer at Phoenix-based Avnet Inc. , is a Chicago native. He said one of the reasons he loves the Phoenix area is because there are so many Chicagoans here.
“I feel it’s the western suburbs of Chicago without the snow and traffic congestion,” he said.
Maag said there are thousands of hot dog stands in Chicago, but Portillo’s stands out.
“When I travel back to Chicago my first stop is Portillo’s for a beef sandwich and hot dog,” he said. “Heck, my family and I have it shipped here four times a year for special parties. I remember when In-N-Out came here the lines were pretty long. When Portillo’s comes it will be a happening of a higher magnitude. My guess is the last car will be in Tucson.”
Stephanie Lough, an account coordinator at HMA Public Relations in Phoenix, didn’t grow up in the Chicago area, but she’s been bitten by the Portillo’s bug.
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