Portillo's
What started out as a humble hot dog stand in Villa Park, Illinois in 1963, is in the process of building a new location here in Fort Worth. That’s right hot dog fans, Portillo’s, the Chicago-based food chain known for its hot dogs, Italian beef sandwiches, chopped salad, and more, filed a new application to start work on a new location in Cowtown this week.
This new locale at 2491 North Tarrant Parkway, west of Interstate 35W is estimated to cost nearly $800k to build. But this isn’t the only new spot this Chicago-based eatery is working on. Construction is steadily underway at Portillo’s Arlington location at 4200 South Cooper Street. In fact, construction crews and graders are already moving dirt on the site near Interstate 20 right across the street from the Parks Mall.
The 7,800 square-foot Arlington spot will be designed with Portillo’s garage-style theme, according to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Plus, the restaurant will have seating for over 180 diners as well as a double drive-thru lane.
Portillo's
Portillo’s had actually announced it was also opening another location at the Premium Outlets open-air market before the May 6 mass shooting that killed nine people took place. Currently, there is no verification if the eatery is still moving forward given the circumstances. The first Portillo’s in Texas opened in January to long lines at 5752 Grandscape Blvd., in The Colony.
But the very first iteration of this hot dog concept goes back to the early 60s when Dick Portillo invested $1,100 into a small trailer, which he called “The Dog House." Over five decades later, Portillo’s has grown to over 70 restaurants across 10 states.
Besides its hot dogs, Portillo’s is famous for its Italian beef, which is slow-roasted for four hours, thinly sliced, and served on freshly baked French bread. Then, it's dipped in hot gravy made with a homemade blend of seasonings that Portillo’s has been perfecting for 50 years. Other menu items include a cake shake, char-grilled burgers, and cheese fries.
