After a wait of nearly a year, Portillo's restaurant is open for business in The Colony.
The Chicagoland favorite, known for its famous Italian beef sandwiches, Chicago-style hot dogs and chocolate shake, announced in October 2021 that they planned to open a restaurant in North Texas.
In March 2022 the location was revealed as The Colony. Company officials confirmed to NBC 5 that the store held a soft opening on Monday night and is now open for business.
Portillo's will host an official grand opening on Jan. 18 and will celebrate joining the North Dallas community by donating $5,000 to two charities - NTX Community Pantry and Lewisville Education Foundation -- during a ribbon-cutting ceremony.
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The location in The Colony, at 4560 Destination Drive, in the Grandscape development, is the first of what appears to be several locations in Texas. The company, which started with a hot dog stand in 1963, now has more than 70 restaurants located in nine states.
In March 2022, Portillo's President and CEO Michael Osanloo said Texas was the number one destination for the company's direct mail business and that people had been requesting a restaurant for years.
According to the Star-Telegram, Portillo's is also working on locations for Arlington and Fort Worth, with locations on South Cooper Street and North Tarrant Parkway, based on permits filed with officials. Neither of the locations has been formally announced by Portillo's.
