Just a month after opening its first San Antonio area location, Portillo’s is beefing up its presence in the metro area.
The popular Chicago-based hot dog and Italian beef chain plans to build a second restaurant in New Braunfels. Construction on the estimated $2.5 million drive-thru is expected to begin in November and be completed by May, according to a filing with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation.
The 4,987-square-foot location will be located at 2807 Sophie Lane, just off Interstate 35 and down the street from one of Buc-ee’s largest travel centers.
The brand’s new stores are part of a major Texas expansion that so far has created 20 stores in Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, Lubbock and, now, San Antonio.
Portillo’s first opened in 1963 in a Chicago suburb and has built a devoted following around its dipped Italian beef sandwiches, Chicago-style hot dogs, onion rings with cheese sauce and cake shakes — an entire piece of chocolate cake blended into a milkshake.
The fast-food chain, which now has 111 locations across 11 states, went public in 2021 after selling nearly three-fourths of its equity to private investment firm Berkshire Partners a decade ago.