Chain restaurants, just like shopping malls and car dealerships, typically open new locations clustered in areas at the outer edge of cities because that's where sufficient land, with visibility along main artieries, is available at a reasonable price. And this is true everywhere, not just Chicago. The only difference between Champaign and large metropolitan areas is that Champaign is small enough that those outer areas are still within the city limits, whereas outside big cities those areas have been established as their own suburban municipalities.

Glad to see Portillo's in the Milwaukee area. One of the only places in Wisconsin to get a Vienna Beef natural casing hot dog.

CSD

D.G.Sullivan wrote:Katie I must get "home" more often than you and I'm in Alaska! ... No offense to suburban messes of course ... The good news is one can now get just about any franchised food group one wants in Champaign-Urbana ... the bad news is one can get just about any franchised food group they want...

Ha ha ha! All funny and all true. I am glad, though, that Portillo's is in Champaign.

nsxtasy wrote:Chain restaurants, just like shopping malls and car dealerships, typically open new locations clustered in areas at the outer edge of cities because that's where sufficient land, with visibility along main artieries, is available at a reasonable price. And this is true everywhere, not just Chicago. The only difference between Champaign and large metropolitan areas is that Champaign is small enough that those outer areas are still within the city limits, whereas outside big cities those areas have been established as their own suburban municipalities.

I'll tell you a bit of trivia about that bit of highway running along the north side of C-U (one you're not likely to know unless you, like me, majored in highway engineering, as so few people do): it was originally the second oldest piece of the Interstate highway system in the US. It was going to be the first, Illinois being the home of the AASHO Road Test (more trivia), but Texas was bound and determined to beat Illinois to have the first Interstate segment, so they built a short piece of highway in the middle of nowhere that connected nothing to nothing (you could say Illinois was doing much the same thing), designated it an Interstate, and opened it a few months before the segment of I-74 north of Champaign was opened, in 1957.

It's since been reconstructed, but older visitors to C-U may remember that I-74's off-ramps to C and U were red: in the early days of the Interstate system, roadway designers were worried that drivers would not quite grasp when to move over into the exit lane, so they colored the concrete red as a visual aid. It's questionable how effective this was because they failed to tell the drivers about it. The ramps were still red when I was in school there, but I don't think there are any red ramps left in the US anymore.

Neither I-74 nor any other limited-access highway is technically an "arterial," nor was the location of I-74 within the city limits of Champaign or Urbana when it was built. It was unincorporated land, and there was absolutely nothing there but farms. As happens everywhere, urban development grew toward the highway system.

Yes, I have been to Dr. Dawg many times and will continue. The dogs, burger, fries are all consistent. The beef though has not been. Last time someone put so much oregano (it appeared to me just prior to serving and right out of the jar) in the beef that it was horrible. Totally ruined it. Then, I won't waste an order on that inconsistency if I can get that burger or dog.

Puckjam wrote:Yes, I have been to Dr. Dawg many times and will continue. The dogs, burger, fries are all consistent. The beef though has not been. Last time someone put so much oregano (it appeared to me just prior to serving and right out of the jar) in the beef that it was horrible. Totally ruined it. Then, I won't waste an order on that inconsistency if I can get that burger or dog.

Sorry to hear that. I'll check out the beef sandwich on my next visit and pass it along to the powers that be.

Yeh, you can find just about any fast-food or fast-casual down there any more. Penn Station, Meat Heads, Five Guys, a couple each of Chipotle, Culver's, Panchero's and Sonic, even a Popeye's opened down there recently. A Portillo's seems the next logical step.

The one thing they're still missing otherwise commonly found in the Midwest is Chick-fil-A.

Champaign even has Giordano's. No Malnati's though. Not yet, anyway.

And a Rosati's too. But yeah, they could use a Lou's down there.

No doubt Lou's would do great in Champaign, and don't think Marc Malnati isn't thinking about it. But there is actually competition in Papa Del's and Garcia's, which are wannabes in comparison but pan pizza nonetheless.

Papa Del's is tragic. I don't know how that place got so popular. Also, I don't think they and Garcia's really compete with "real" Chicago pan/deep-dish/stuffed/etc. because they serve the spongy thick-crust style that would most closely be associated with Detroit-style, especially Garcia's with its square/rectangular pans. Not that Garcia's claims to be Detroit-style, but it's a lot closer to that than Chicago-style. I think their competition down there would be Rosati's for take-out/delivery, and Giordano's and -- *gulp* -- Old Chicago for dining out.

Poor Garcia's isn't even a shadow of what it was in the '70's...not worth the time when they stopped making an effort. Haven't been to the new rendition of Papa Del's but always found them worthy...if a bit bready.

Only knew upon Garcia's in Champaign in the '70's when visiting from Iowa City because it was housed on the bottom floor of Bromley, a girls' dorm. I thought that was just about the coolest thing since sliced bread, which was reminiscent of Garcia's crust...

BrendanR wrote:From out of nowhere, a new Portillo's in Harwood Heights on Lawrence, just west of Harlem (7308). For an area I'd thought I was pretty familiar with, I didn't even see or hear about this and it looks pretty close to opening.

This location was open when I drove by last night.

BrendanR wrote:

BrendanR wrote:From out of nowhere, a new Portillo's in Harwood Heights on Lawrence, just west of Harlem (7308). For an area I'd thought I was pretty familiar with, I didn't even see or hear about this and it looks pretty close to opening.

This location was open when I drove by last night.

That might eat into Jay's beef down the road at Narragansett & Montrose.

Pauly wrote:That might eat into Jay's beef down the road at Narragansett & Montrose.

The operators of the Buona right across Lawrence can't be too happy, either.

Who would have thought that Harwood Heights would become a dining destination? In all seriousness, I hope that Jay's and Mr. Beef on Harlem continue to exist (and thrive) in spite of the increased competition...

There are at least 3 locally-owned places in Deerfield that are probably not too happy about the new Portillos there: Dear Franks, Cooker's and Josh's on the Square. IMO each of them have their strengths and weaknesses. It'll be interesting to see what happens to all these places in the future.

=R=

cito wrote:I hope that Jay's and Mr. Beef on Harlem continue to exist (and thrive) in spite of the increased competition...

That's Mr. Beef and Pizza (not to be confused with Mr. Beef, which is on Orleans). They do make a great beef. Their hot dogs...not so much.

Anyone else feel like Portillo's beefs are getting skimpy?

chainey wrote:Anyone else feel like Portillo's beefs are getting skimpy?

I do! I weighed a Portillo's beef and the sandwich had about 4 ounces of beef. For just 50 cents more you can get a much better tasting beef at Big Ange's in Arlington Heights. Their beef sandwich had almost 8 ounces of beef when I weighed it.

lsher wrote:

chainey wrote:Anyone else feel like Portillo's beefs are getting skimpy?

I do! I weighed a Portillo's beef and the sandwich had about 4 ounces of beef. For just 50 cents more you can get a much better tasting beef at Big Ange's in Arlington Heights. Their beef sandwich had almost 8 ounces of beef when I weighed it.

I would take 4 ounces of a great beef over 8 ounces of not so great beef any day. To be fair, I've never heard of Big Ange's (which if it's great, I'm all in), but having too much meat on a beef sandwich doesn't always = the best. I've had many Portillo's where there was plenty of meat. Same thing with Johnnie's - sometimes it's skimpy, and sometimes there's quite a bit in there. It depends on who's making the beef. FWIW I had Novi's Beef today and it was great.

ronnie_suburban wrote:There are at least 3 locally-owned places in Deerfield that are probably not too happy about the new Portillos there: Dear Franks, Cooker's and Josh's on the Square. IMO each of them have their strengths and weaknesses. It'll be interesting to see what happens to all these places in the future.

=R=

There was an article with Cooker's about their concern with Portillo's coming to the area. I agree with you Ronnie, all three have strengths and weaknesses. Personally as I worked in Northbrook (grew up/live in HP) and had Cooker's, Josh's and Dear Franks often - they all need to wake up and step up their game. Cooker's hot dogs tended to have an unusual taste to them and I didn't like them anymore. They have great fresh cut fries. But I once had a Caesar salad from Cooker's that was so bad, it made me immediately stop a low-carb diet I was on! Dear Franks does a pretty good natural casing Vienna and fresh cut fries. Two thumbs up. But their beef sandwich I had one time was so bad, I threw half of it away. Still, for a hot dog and fries, they are worthy. Josh's also does a proper natural casing Vienna, but frozen food service fries. They do a pretty good burger too, and some have said the gyros are great. Their beef is mostly no big deal.

Can any of them compete with a Portillo's? Not entirely, and that's why they need to step it up. I know I like the hot dogs, burgers, and especially the beef at Portillo's. I get chicken sandwiches and salads that are good there too. Fries are frozen, but cooked in beef tallow. I even think the ribs are good and I was never a big ribs guy. Oh yeah, chocolate cake too. But you know what helps? The little things. Have a few newspapers waiting for guys like me, and I'm very happy. Give me a generous portion of fries, and always drop them fresh (Cooker's has/had free fries refills - too bad the hot dogs are lousy). Actually care about your menu items - don't try to pull a fast one with quality or using a cheap vendor. You will be a dime-a-dozen. Come up with a killer beef recipe and own it. I know that is asking a lot, as beef is a lot of work. Josh's On The Square is doing special parties after hours which is probably a good idea and having the outdoor patio in the summer should help. That location is so local though. No one driving past on Waukegan would ever think to stop there, let alone see it. Cooker's is also hidden in the back of their shopping center. Dear Frank's is at least right on Waukegan, but it's so small that you will easily miss it. Another interesting note - I went to Dear Frank's on Touhy and it was not like the other location in Glenview or Deerfield. Frozen fries instead of fresh cut. Why?

Josh's has a very loyal following at this point and makes MUCH better food than Portillo's so I don't think they have too much to worry about.

Portillo's is the kind of place that will expand the market by bringing in additional customers, rather than by dividing up those who are already enjoying similar restaurants nearby. I say this because it's the only restaurant I know which does such a big lunch business that at some locations they have to hire off-duty law enforcement to direct traffic at the entrances/exits.

Pauly wrote:From out of nowhere, a new Portillo's in Harwood Heights on Lawrence, just west of Harlem (7308). For an area I'd thought I was pretty familiar with, I didn't even see or hear about this and it looks pretty close to opening.

BrendanR wrote: This location was open when I drove by last night. That might eat into Jay's beef down the road at Narragansett & Montrose.

BrendanR wrote:The operators of the Buona right across Lawrence can't be too happy, either.

stevez wrote: That's Mr. Beef and Pizza (not to be confused with Mr. Beef, which is on Orleans). They do make a great beef. Their hot dogs...not so much.

Whew.
A month ago, I went into Mr. Beef and Pizza on N. Harlem to have an italian beef. I was stunned (& I bet the shack management was disturbed) to see this advert on the billboard adjacent to the Chicago fire department station across the avenue.) {It was a full-billboard ad for the new Buona's {corrected} on W. Lawrence Ave. in Harwood Heights.}{c.v.}
This site has so many massive Flickr® (& other copyrighted image hosts) images tied into this thread that it would take twenty-seven minutes for it to load on my v.92 connection. So I tend to only login to LTH when at a venue with a broadband connection (like a bar or pub).
Getting to the point: Mr. Beef and Pizza on N. Harlem is (| are) worth ordering an italian beef. The music played in the background is SiriusXM's 1950's channel (6005), which actually goes beyond 1964, despite its pitch as the "pre-Beatles" channel. {Don't start me about Vee-Jay Records releasing Beattles records in February 1963.}

Thank you for the user option tip.

pudgym29 wrote: This site has so many massive Flickr® (& other copyrighted image hosts) images tied into this thread that it would take twenty-seven minutes for it to load on my v.92 connection. So I tend to only login to LTH when at a venue with a broadband connection (like a bar or pub).

There is a setting in your Profile/User Control Panel under
Preferences->Edit Display Options where you can indicate that you don't want images to be displayed in posts.

When an image in a post is not displayed, a link to the image is shown instead.

--
edc

Portillo's hopes to offer delivery via mobile app at all locations

http://www.dailyherald.com/business/201 ... -locations

I went to Dr. Dawg for the first time since the "oregano" beef I had last year. This time the bread was bad, beef was tasteless, and the "juice" must have been Swanson's beef broth. Couldn't finish it. Just bad, almost worst than Sammy's. Both off the list.

Puckjam wrote:I went to Dr. Dawg for the first time since the "oregano" beef I had last year. This time the bread was bad, beef was tasteless, and the "juice" must have been Swanson's beef broth. Couldn't finish it. Just bad, almost worst than Sammy's. Both off the list.

Why is this here on the Portillo’s thread?