Portillo’s, the beloved Chicago-based hot dog restaurant also known for Italian beef sandwiches and chocolate cake shakes, will debut in North Texas next year, according to reports in Forbes and the Chicago Tribune.
With 67 locations in nine states, Portillo’s went public last week with about 20 million shares of its stock selling at $20 per share. The company also plans to expand to other areas with a goal of having 600 locations in 25 years.
Only a few new locations are planned for next year, but its first spot in Texas is at the top of the list.
“Texas is the number one state we ship to,” Portillo’s CEO Michael Osanloo told Forbes.
Portillo’s COO Derrick Pratt told Chicago Tribune the same thing, but added that the first Texas location will be “in a town near Frisco next year.”
A Facebook group called “Portillo’s wanted in DFW” has been around since 2009 and now has over 800 members. The group is now celebrating and speculating on where exactly the first North Texas Portillo’s will be located.
Portillo’s first opened in 1963 in Illinois. Their Chicago-style hot dogs include mustard, relish, celery salt, chopped onions, sliced tomatoes, a kosher pickle and sport pepper on a poppy seed bun.
A publicist for Portillo’s had no updates on the first Texas restaurant location at this time.
