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More than two years after first entering the market to great fanfare and huge crowds, Chicago-based Portillo’s is planning a fourth restaurant in the Indianapolis area.
Documents filed with the city of Westfield show Portillo’s plans to build a new location on a vacant 2.2-acre parcel immediately west of Wheeler Road, between State Road 32 and Tournament Trail.
Preliminary drawings show the 7,800-square-foot restaurant will have room for 186 diners indoors, and 100 outside.
“This is something we have that Carmel doesn’t have,” Westfield City Council President Joe Edwards said at a meeting Monday night when the chain’s plans were officially introduced.
The project will be heard by the city’s plan commission on March 2, and it could be approved by the council as early as April 13.
If approved, Westfield’s location will have 119 vehicle parking spots and 30 bicycle parking spaces to accommodate traffic coming off the nearby Monon Trail.
Portillo’s, known for its Italian beef sandwiches and Chicago-style hot dogs, was founded as a hot dog stand in Villa Park, Illinois, in 1963. The first location in Indiana opened in Merrillville in 2006.
In addition to that location and the 9,000-square-foot Portillo’s that opened at 9201 E. 116th St. in Fishers in late 2017, there are four Indiana Portillo’s locations listed on the company’s website: Avon at 10444 E. U.S. Highway 36; Indianapolis at 8150 S. U.S. Highway 31; Mishawaka; and a Fort Wayne location listed as coming soon.
Representatives from Portillo’s did not respond to a request for comment by the IBJ’s deadline.
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And a location at U.S. 30 and Broadway, Merrillville, IN.
We may have to give Westfield a try. The Fishers operation has some serious problems and might have opened to “first entering the market to great fanfare and huge crowds” but most restaurants open to “great fanfare and huge crowds”. The question is, “what happens after the honeymoon?”. In this case, not much: it’s slow and quality is inconsistent, the same as when it first opened. Some of that (at opening) could be “new store jitters” but to persist for two years indicates management problems. Fresh blood (in management) might invigorate the business. As we have to go to Chicago twice a year, that’s the time to eat at Portillo’s. It’s a shame they can’t see the writing on the wall. (it’s not a matter of if, but when)
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@Keirn: Thanks for the heads up – we usually just stop at CostCo…
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https://www.google.com/maps/place/Portillo's+Hot+Dogs/@41.4704333,-87.3316886,17z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x8811eee789bc8cdb:0x34b0a8651d526e03!8m2!3d41.4703851!4d-87.332901