Portillo’s, based in Oak Brook, Illinois, has announced its plans to expand its presence by opening more restaurants with smaller footprints. Known for their iconic Chicago dishes such as hot dogs and Italian beef sandwiches, the fast-casual chain currently operates 77 locations across 10 states. The expansion will eventually lead to a total of 920 restaurants.
According to the company’s statement, Portillo’s is now designing full-scale restaurants with a smaller overall footprint and shorter production line. This new concept called “Restaurant of the Future” will have an average size of 5,500-6,000 square feet and a production line spanning only 47 feet.
Earlier this year, Portillo’s revealed that it would be opening three new locations in Chicagoland by 2023. These include a Cicero location featuring a retro automotive garage theme with seating for over 200 guests; an Algonquin location covering an area of approximately7 ,800 square feet also designed around the garage theme; and finally,a Rosemont restaurant without indoor dining space but offering drive-thru lanes and inside pick-up areas – all following the trend towards smaller-footprint designs.
The post on Connect CRE discusses how Illinois-based Portillo’s plans to open up about nine hundred twenty (920) additional outlets within two decades.
