Portillo's Restaurants
Type	Private
Industry	Restaurants
Founded	1963 in Villa Park, Illinois
Headquarters	Oak Brook, Illinois, USA
Key people	Dick Portillo, Founder, Owner, President
Website	portillos.com

Portillo's, which is the main entity within The Portillo Restaurant Group is a chain of restaurants that specialize in serving Chicago-style food. Portillo's is located primarily throughout the Chicago metropolitan area, with two locations in southern California and one in Scottsdale, Arizona.

History
Dick Portillo was born at 1330 West Van Buren in Chicago, Illinois. His family then moved to government-subsidized row houses on Mohawk Street, called the Mother Frances Cabrini Housing Project. After his father started earning enough money, they were prompted to leave and moved to 1617 South Central Park. His family later moved to the southwest suburbs. He was a 1957 graduate of Argo Community High School at 63rd and Harlem. After high school, he served a tour with the Marine Corps.

The first Portillo’s hot dog stand known as “The Dog House” opened in 1963 on North Avenue in Villa Park. Owner and founder Dick Portillo invested $1,100 into a 6’ x 12’ trailer without a bathroom or running water. To get the water he needed, he ran 250 feet of garden hose from a nearby building into the trailer.

Dick Portillo with a loyal customer at the Scottsdale, AZ location.

By 1967, “The Dog House” was a success and was ready for a new look. After it was remodeled, it was renamed “Portillo’s” and over the years has grown into a successful multi-state operation. Portillo’s expanded to Southern California in 2005, Indiana in 2006 and expanded to Arizona in 2013.

The Barnelli’s Pasta Bowl concept was introduced in 1993, and features a variety of pastas with homemade sauces, gourmet salads, and hand-tossed pizza. Barnelli’s first opened in Schaumburg and has additional locations in Naperville, Vernon Hills, Glendale Heights, Niles, Summit, Crystal Lake, Chicago and Willowbrook, IL.

In September 2000, Mr. Portillo launched a full-service concept, Luigi’s House, located on Route 59 in the Aurora/Naperville area. Luigi’s House was inspired by Dick’s trips to Italy and the Mediterranean. Luigi’s House and its garden area have been meticulously designed to create the feeling of dining in a private Italian home, serving authentic traditional Italian cuisine in a cozy Italian/Mediterranean atmosphere. Mr. Portillo launched his latest concept, Honey-Jam Cafe in May of 2010.

There are currently three Illinois locations: one in Downers Grove, one in Batavia and a third in Bolingbrook. Honey-Jam Cafe serves breakfast and lunch in a unique and upscale atmosphere you would not expect to find in a breakfast and lunch restaurant. Several of the items on the menu were discovered by Dick in different restaurants he visited during his travels throughout the United States and the world. Most of the décor, including the large double-sided fireplaces, was inspired by Dick’s travels to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico and various locations throughout the United States.

Julian’s Plaza, a shopping center created by Mr. Portillo, opened in Bolingbrook, IL in April 2011. Julian’s Plaza has over 42,000 square feet of restaurant and retail space and is positioned at the busiest corner in Will County, Illinois. Richport Plaza, the second shopping plaza developed by Mr. Portillo will open in Spring 2013 in Elgin, IL. The plaza has 16,000 sq. ft. of retail space.

Portillo’s Home Kitchen is the restaurant group’s fast-growing catering and shipping division, serving award winning family recipes, products of renowned quality and providing unparalleled service. Portillo’s Home Kitchen offers a wide range of products, including famous Italian beef, fresh pasta trays, gourmet salads and award-winning bar-b-q ribs. Boxes of Italian beef, hot dogs, barbecue ribs and tamales are available for shipping to all 50 states.

The Portillo Restaurant Group is the recipient of numerous awards and is the largest privately owned restaurant group in the Midwest. This was all accomplished without franchising or investors. Combined, the concepts have over 4000 employees and a total of 50 restaurants, plus a catering and shipping division and two shopping plazas.