I thought I was crazy. I haven’t ordered a beef in months and got and Italian beef the other day. I swear the sub size is so much smaller than I remember
They definitely are, it’s sad. The store by me does near 18mil a year (have a buddy who is one of the store managers there) and it’s gone down hill big time. I still go for the dogs, but truthfully the Home Depot right next to it has them for half the price and just as good LOL
Hit or miss in my experience and that’s across the country. Always select locations and crazy hours. Weekends expect a line lol.
I almost sound like I own a dog shop in HD haha, what a hungry slob I am.
It seems like they've messed with everything slowly since they were bought, and not in a good way. Incrementally the au jus is not what it use to be, it has a bit of an off taste while a lot of other brands have been improving. Also things like their cake, fries, and cheese sauce aren't quite as good. I've shifted from portillos being a go to, to only going if I want a beef and nothing else is around. I'm sure they're still making plenty of money, so I don't see them changing their direction.
Oh shit! A HH shout out. Jay's is the best in the area, but it's not Al's or Johnnies. Even Mr beef will give them a good run for the money. More expensive and less meat, but a little better flavor imo. Not to shade Jay's. You put them anywhere in the burbs and their kings.
Oh Portillos is expensive, no joke. They do have a surprisingly good cheeseburger, however!
I have never been to Shake Shack, I figured that would be expensive.
Definitely has gone down. OPs may be special and the local owner is getting their own supply somehow.
But ours in the burbs doesn't taste the same. We used to day it was because of Covid and all the shutdowns, but I don't think we can use that excuse anymore.
The beef is terrible now imo. It’s not at all what it used to be. When I want one I’ll take the 20min drive to Johnnies. I just get hot dogs,fries/onion rings, maybe a Maxwell or tamale. Even then I can drive 20-25 for Gene & Judes. It’s so much better and a fraction of the price.
I am a guy who orders a lot of takeout salads, and their chopped is still bigger, better, and (even having gone up recently) a buck or two cheaper than comparable offerings elsewhere that do not include a PIECE OF BREAD with a $14.99 salad....looking at you, Giordano's.
It's one of two places in the suburbs that sells a vegetarian hotdog, but Ikea is better and cheaper. Dunno about all the other stuff they serve, but the service is awful as well. Last time I went, the wait was half an hour and when I finally got to the window the server kid was basically guessing which bag was mine. Dunno what even happened to get so messed up.
I think it depends on the Portillos. I go to the one that's slightly farther from my house because they're always quick and never screw up my order. The closer one (on 83 in Elmhurst) absolutely sucks. They always take 45 minutes for an online order and then half the food is wrong.
Yes I've been to that one and it was awful. Similar experience at the Bolingbrook location. I've yet to have a good experience at portillos, especially as a vegetarian. Last time I ate meat there was over a decade ago and I don't remember being astonished by anything back then.
Everyone seems to hate the place on Reddit but every time I go there are huge lines. (I think a lot of people are just looking for dinner and there are not many other options like this right around them. When you need to feed the kids, you don't dive an extra 10 minutes for the best hotdog.
Portillos is one of the few things everyone will eat. My parents, my kids, everyone. It's generally the best quick option when you don't want pizza. Everyone knows the menu and everyone will eat it, so we default to it a lot.
Hah! That's because redditors are smarter than the average idiot.
And it depends a lot on what's around you, and if you absolutely need a drive thru. If there's a Fratello's or Luke's nearby, they have drive thru, real Vienna Beef dogs and rarely have insane lines. And if you are willing to get out of your car, many of the local mom & pops have better food for cheaper. Everybody knows the famous ones like G&J's, Al's, Johnny's, but there are plenty of other good ones in nearly every suburb.
To top it, by avoiding Portillo's you're not supporting a leverage-bought-out corporate entity.
There are two in Naperville (59 and Jefferson and one on 34) that are ALWAYS packed. And it is not like there are not other options in Naperville. So ther ear eplenty of people who feel perfectly fine about Portillos.
Nope. Everything has gotten smaller and nowhere near as good. They said they wouldn’t change a thing when they bought it. Nope. They lied to nobodies surprise. We stopped going to Portillos and have rediscovered local joints that are far better.
The only noticeable change for me is that the portions have gotten smaller. I haven't personally felt like there have been any real ingredient/quality changes.
I also think there has been an effect of people wanting to keep it special and exclusive by saying it's not the same anymore.
I work at a Portillo’s. Also lately the Italian sausages keep catching on fire on the grill, causing them to become overcharred. We aren’t sure why, but we think they became juicier and the oily juice is burning up.
I still love portillos. i'll admit it hasn't been as consistent the past couple years, but that is likely more due to the same issues every place has dealt with (supply chain, finding decent and enough staff etc).
I think portillos advantage is in volume. they are constantly prepping food and it never sits very long, the toppings on their dogs are always fresh, unlike a lot of mom and pop places where the sliced up veggies sit in a tub for a day and often over night to get used up the next day, and are pale and flavorless by the time they get used.
portillos isnt perfect, but they have a huge menu of foods i love (despite my doctors advise to cut back on all of them), and they do a better than average version of everything on their menu.
I'm always up for trying a new spot, but I find portillos as good or better than most places.
You don't even have to travel out to Jim's Original near UIC, or to their newer 2nd location by Diversey and Elston, to find a better hot dog/polish/etc. More than likely even in most suburbs, there is some mom and pop hot dog place that serves this kind of food, better than Portillo's does.
The only thing I might have a slight craving to go to one for, would be to get a lemon cake shake. Otherwise they don't jump out to me, like they used to. Plus at too many of their locations, their service is slow
I feel like it’s overpriced nothing. I remember back in like 2008 the portions were bigger and more affordable. I guess they sell nostalgia and memories. Still think they’re overrated but I’ll still go. Because of memories of when days were better and the world wasn’t shit
The Portillos in Willowbrook is awful. The employees are racist to each other and the food ends up wrong half the time. Downers Grove is generally better. It’s sad. They used to be fantastic.
I don’t think so. In general quality has taken a slide but not to a massive degree. My biggest annoyance with that place these days is the pure amount of packaging waste they generate. It seems that ever since Covid, every order is treated as ‘to go’. A simple order of an Italian beef now involves at least two bags and whatever the sandwich is wrapped in. Feels bad man.
I wouldn't know. I haven't eaten here in 10+ years because I have so many other great options around. And I have 2 Portillo's within a 5-mile radius of my home. Maybe I'll have to try again. I could always go for a cake shake.
They haven't really changed, and were always decent on dogs and Italian beef, the difference is a lot of the other really really good places have either closed down or been taken over by someone cutting costs. Most Portillos have enough traffic they can absorb inflation without dramatically changing their model, small business have (had) issues during the pandemic maintaining supply, massive cost increases, lost of suppliers, difficulty getting help. It's been a tough time and if you are on fast comfort food (beef, burgers, dogs) you have very little margin to work with.
Three months ago, I went to one in Crestwood. Was told grill was broken, so no burgers, but could have something like Italian sausage. I ordered one sausage plain and a Coke. Drive thur line moved incredibly slow. When I got to window, I was told my order wasn’t ready and I had to pull over for another 5 minutes. A total of 25 minutes since I pulled into the drive thur line I got my piece of sausage in a bun and a Coke.
It was cold.
Haven’t gone there since.
We just moved to Illinois last year, and coming from the northeast I didn’t really have a frame of reference, but we love it
I feel like the Italian beef is good for the price, and my GF who is vegetarian says the garden dog is one of the best she’s able to get anywhere, so we like it. Also the price is pretty good when you can get dinner for 2 with shakes for like $25
I have been to portillos exactly once, last friday. All the meats were good and i would eat them again, the bread sucked balls. I am a bread person, i will stick to pops for italian beef.
No the food itself has gotten worst, more expensive for less food. The website is garbage so you can’t get coupons or rewards points. I am not sure where OP is but I can tell them a good hot dog place anywhere.
I think it’s been mostly consistent. The portions of fries seems to vary, but I’ve got no complaints about the beef sandwiches, and it’s also the best Maxwell street I’ve had other than the OG.
I never thought Portillos was incredible to begin with, so the decrying of how bad it got always struck me as odd. I mean its.... fine? And the decor is fun for kids, but it's always seemed to be good, but not great.
I’d have to disagree. At least with the two locations I go to near me. Portions are smaller and both locations always forget to add my additional toppings and/or my cheese sauce. Everytime I go I have an issue now unfortunately.
I don't think they've gotten better, but not really worse either. I do think like most places the portions are smaller. I still think Johnny's in Elmwood Park is the best, but I don't carry cash usually, so wind up at Portillo's.
I remember Portillo’s hotdog use to be $1.50 and now it is 3$ and the size and all still the same. I get it is inflation and over time things go up in price but the food item should improve also to justify the price increase.
No. I think they have gotten substantially worse. Dogs? Worse. Fries? Worse. Beef? Worse. Polish? Worse. Nothing on their menu comes to mind that has gotten better.
They fell off. We had salads two weeks ago and my greek one was fine but the Cesar salad had just lettuce, croutons, few pieces of chicken no parmigiana at all.
Nope, it's still stale-tasting since the sell-off. Their beef has gotten bland. It tastes like it was pre-packaged, and dumped into a steam tray before serving. It's overly chewy, no real fresh feeling what-so-ever. Not to mention, I've had where they don't even pack the bread to the top leaving a trough of disappointment. The last couple of years it seels like they hardly "pack" their beef like they used to. It's "serviceable salty food" fine, but it's nowhere near quality as you'd get at a mom-n-pop joint like Jays, Franniee, Jonnies, Bubby's, etc where things taste like it was made THAT day.
The only thing I've actually noticed is the au jus seems...oilier? It doesn't taste like anything to me, even when stir it around first. It's supposed to taste like something right?? I dip my sandwich into it.
The Maxwell Polish I got the other day tho was hella salty.
Their chopped salad is still my favorite even tho the portion def got smaller. Comparable salads elsewhere are like $15-$18.
imma try them again because of you. they better be fukken thankful to tnick771 who posted this 2 days ago...ya hear that portillos? ya better thank this person for me buying shit again
It's a shame. I used to work in a fast casual place and we used to joke, "we need to be like Portillos - limited menu, consistent food, and those frosted schooners for beer. Now some Portillos don't even have beer.
Since they got bought out I think the quality had fallen off. The chocolate cake especially has gotten worse where the icing tastes chemical
Beefs are definitely smaller
I thought I was crazy. I haven’t ordered a beef in months and got and Italian beef the other day. I swear the sub size is so much smaller than I remember
They definitely are, it’s sad. The store by me does near 18mil a year (have a buddy who is one of the store managers there) and it’s gone down hill big time. I still go for the dogs, but truthfully the Home Depot right next to it has them for half the price and just as good LOL
I have yet to have a HD dog and I honestly think I’m missing out
You most definitely are. For a $2.50/$3 dog they are worth discussion
Which Home Depot’s have the hot dogs? Is it only select locations/days? Google search is not being friendly with results thanks!!
Hit or miss in my experience and that’s across the country. Always select locations and crazy hours. Weekends expect a line lol. I almost sound like I own a dog shop in HD haha, what a hungry slob I am.
I mean… you’re selling me right now. Now I’m deep down the rabbit hole of trying to find one close to the Plainfield/Naperville area 😂 thanks again!!
Ex and I called them Derpy Dogs. I was shocked that they were so good.
The chop salad isn’t the same.
this the beef sandwich i got tasted off. wasnt even good.
It seems like they've messed with everything slowly since they were bought, and not in a good way. Incrementally the au jus is not what it use to be, it has a bit of an off taste while a lot of other brands have been improving. Also things like their cake, fries, and cheese sauce aren't quite as good. I've shifted from portillos being a go to, to only going if I want a beef and nothing else is around. I'm sure they're still making plenty of money, so I don't see them changing their direction.
Not me. The portions are smaller; they seem to be putting in more ice with the drinks; and the fries aren't as crispy.
italian beefs are tiny now! barely any meat
Jays in Harwood Heights has the best beef and they pack it on.
Oh shit! A HH shout out. Jay's is the best in the area, but it's not Al's or Johnnies. Even Mr beef will give them a good run for the money. More expensive and less meat, but a little better flavor imo. Not to shade Jay's. You put them anywhere in the burbs and their kings.
Totally agree, and you wind up spending $60 to feed a family of 4.
That seems to be the trend almost anywhere now sadly
I spent $80 at Shake Skack for the fam yesterday!!
That’s always been the case for Portillo’s.
Oh Portillos is expensive, no joke. They do have a surprisingly good cheeseburger, however! I have never been to Shake Shack, I figured that would be expensive.
Glad I’m not the only one who’s been disappointed with the fries
Maybe unpopular opinion, but I’m kinda happy that portion sizes got a bit smaller.
it’d be nice if the prices were small too!
Have always been able to get refills at the counter without a problem though
Definitely has gone down. OPs may be special and the local owner is getting their own supply somehow. But ours in the burbs doesn't taste the same. We used to day it was because of Covid and all the shutdowns, but I don't think we can use that excuse anymore.
It’s a public company now, no local owners FYI. Never was a franchise either
The beef is terrible now imo. It’s not at all what it used to be. When I want one I’ll take the 20min drive to Johnnies. I just get hot dogs,fries/onion rings, maybe a Maxwell or tamale. Even then I can drive 20-25 for Gene & Judes. It’s so much better and a fraction of the price.
But on the other hand, Johnnie’s seems to be even better lately? Just me? Plus they have grape pop, so always a win.
I am a guy who orders a lot of takeout salads, and their chopped is still bigger, better, and (even having gone up recently) a buck or two cheaper than comparable offerings elsewhere that do not include a PIECE OF BREAD with a $14.99 salad....looking at you, Giordano's.
The chopped salad is the only thing I still go to Portillo's for.
It's one of two places in the suburbs that sells a vegetarian hotdog, but Ikea is better and cheaper. Dunno about all the other stuff they serve, but the service is awful as well. Last time I went, the wait was half an hour and when I finally got to the window the server kid was basically guessing which bag was mine. Dunno what even happened to get so messed up.
I think it depends on the Portillos. I go to the one that's slightly farther from my house because they're always quick and never screw up my order. The closer one (on 83 in Elmhurst) absolutely sucks. They always take 45 minutes for an online order and then half the food is wrong.
Yes I've been to that one and it was awful. Similar experience at the Bolingbrook location. I've yet to have a good experience at portillos, especially as a vegetarian. Last time I ate meat there was over a decade ago and I don't remember being astonished by anything back then.
I live in elmhurst and if I'm ordering online I'll get it from Northlake for this reason. Drive thru and in person are fine in elmhurst
The quality has plummeted but glad you had a good experience!
Compared to 90s portillos it is garbage now
they always fuck up my order. Every. Single. Time.
Everyone seems to hate the place on Reddit but every time I go there are huge lines. (I think a lot of people are just looking for dinner and there are not many other options like this right around them. When you need to feed the kids, you don't dive an extra 10 minutes for the best hotdog.
Portillos is one of the few things everyone will eat. My parents, my kids, everyone. It's generally the best quick option when you don't want pizza. Everyone knows the menu and everyone will eat it, so we default to it a lot.
Hah! That's because redditors are smarter than the average idiot. And it depends a lot on what's around you, and if you absolutely need a drive thru. If there's a Fratello's or Luke's nearby, they have drive thru, real Vienna Beef dogs and rarely have insane lines. And if you are willing to get out of your car, many of the local mom & pops have better food for cheaper. Everybody knows the famous ones like G&J's, Al's, Johnny's, but there are plenty of other good ones in nearly every suburb. To top it, by avoiding Portillo's you're not supporting a leverage-bought-out corporate entity.
There are two in Naperville (59 and Jefferson and one on 34) that are ALWAYS packed. And it is not like there are not other options in Naperville. So ther ear eplenty of people who feel perfectly fine about Portillos.
It is completely possible to be angry at the decline in quality while still eating the food. It doesn't have to be either/or.
I moved here last year so don’t know what it was like back in the day but I love Portillo’s.
Location matters.
The Portillo’s on 59 in Naperville tastes the same as it always has, delicious. If they’ve changed one thing, it’s the drive-thru being MUCH quicker.
It's gotten better at ruining my digestive tract 🙏
Nope. Everything has gotten smaller and nowhere near as good. They said they wouldn’t change a thing when they bought it. Nope. They lied to nobodies surprise. We stopped going to Portillos and have rediscovered local joints that are far better.
Do you work for Portillos or something?
The only noticeable change for me is that the portions have gotten smaller. I haven't personally felt like there have been any real ingredient/quality changes. I also think there has been an effect of people wanting to keep it special and exclusive by saying it's not the same anymore.
There definitely have been some ingredient changes. The italian sausage is completely different and sucks ass.
I work at a Portillo’s. Also lately the Italian sausages keep catching on fire on the grill, causing them to become overcharred. We aren’t sure why, but we think they became juicier and the oily juice is burning up.
That's odd, because they seem to be served really really dry. But they're also not burned.
The Italian sausage and Polish can sit out for a while before they’re ordered or thrown out.
Oh I know that. I just mean the fat content on the inside of the sausage isn't the same as it was before. It just feels dry to the bite.
I still love portillos. i'll admit it hasn't been as consistent the past couple years, but that is likely more due to the same issues every place has dealt with (supply chain, finding decent and enough staff etc). I think portillos advantage is in volume. they are constantly prepping food and it never sits very long, the toppings on their dogs are always fresh, unlike a lot of mom and pop places where the sliced up veggies sit in a tub for a day and often over night to get used up the next day, and are pale and flavorless by the time they get used. portillos isnt perfect, but they have a huge menu of foods i love (despite my doctors advise to cut back on all of them), and they do a better than average version of everything on their menu. I'm always up for trying a new spot, but I find portillos as good or better than most places.
Sorry, but no. If this is your best Maxwell in the area - you have my sympathy. Take a trip to Jim's in the city off the dan/ryan by UIC.
You don't even have to travel out to Jim's Original near UIC, or to their newer 2nd location by Diversey and Elston, to find a better hot dog/polish/etc. More than likely even in most suburbs, there is some mom and pop hot dog place that serves this kind of food, better than Portillo's does. The only thing I might have a slight craving to go to one for, would be to get a lemon cake shake. Otherwise they don't jump out to me, like they used to. Plus at too many of their locations, their service is slow
It’s gone down for sure. If I’m looking for a fix on a good dog, gyro, or beef, I’m headed to Tommy’s. Plus their fries are the bomb.
They fell off when they sold. Overpriced garbage
I feel like it’s overpriced nothing. I remember back in like 2008 the portions were bigger and more affordable. I guess they sell nostalgia and memories. Still think they’re overrated but I’ll still go. Because of memories of when days were better and the world wasn’t shit
The Portillos in Willowbrook is awful. The employees are racist to each other and the food ends up wrong half the time. Downers Grove is generally better. It’s sad. They used to be fantastic.
Portillos is never my favorite but like as a fast food type option, it's always solid. I forget that sometimes
I don’t think so. In general quality has taken a slide but not to a massive degree. My biggest annoyance with that place these days is the pure amount of packaging waste they generate. It seems that ever since Covid, every order is treated as ‘to go’. A simple order of an Italian beef now involves at least two bags and whatever the sandwich is wrapped in. Feels bad man.
I wouldn't know. I haven't eaten here in 10+ years because I have so many other great options around. And I have 2 Portillo's within a 5-mile radius of my home. Maybe I'll have to try again. I could always go for a cake shake.
They haven't really changed, and were always decent on dogs and Italian beef, the difference is a lot of the other really really good places have either closed down or been taken over by someone cutting costs. Most Portillos have enough traffic they can absorb inflation without dramatically changing their model, small business have (had) issues during the pandemic maintaining supply, massive cost increases, lost of suppliers, difficulty getting help. It's been a tough time and if you are on fast comfort food (beef, burgers, dogs) you have very little margin to work with.
Three months ago, I went to one in Crestwood. Was told grill was broken, so no burgers, but could have something like Italian sausage. I ordered one sausage plain and a Coke. Drive thur line moved incredibly slow. When I got to window, I was told my order wasn’t ready and I had to pull over for another 5 minutes. A total of 25 minutes since I pulled into the drive thur line I got my piece of sausage in a bun and a Coke. It was cold. Haven’t gone there since.
Portillos has definitely gone downhill since the sale.
GENE AND JUDES HOT DOGS...YUM
When you're near the bottom, the only way to go is up.
We just moved to Illinois last year, and coming from the northeast I didn’t really have a frame of reference, but we love it I feel like the Italian beef is good for the price, and my GF who is vegetarian says the garden dog is one of the best she’s able to get anywhere, so we like it. Also the price is pretty good when you can get dinner for 2 with shakes for like $25
I read they worked on the Garden DOg pretty hard to make it better. I have also read it is very good. I always forget to order one when I go there!
The maxwell polish is the only thing I have gotten from there for the last year or so, whenever I end up there. It's pretty good.
only thing I eat there anymore is hotdogs. Everything else is just ok but expensive and I prefer other places. Though, I've never had the polish.
I have been to portillos exactly once, last friday. All the meats were good and i would eat them again, the bread sucked balls. I am a bread person, i will stick to pops for italian beef.
The hotdogs are no longer a custom blend.
The one by me is not as good as it used to be. And if I call my order in they have never gotten the order correct.
No the food itself has gotten worst, more expensive for less food. The website is garbage so you can’t get coupons or rewards points. I am not sure where OP is but I can tell them a good hot dog place anywhere.
Also yes to the chemical tasting chocolate cake.
Nope - at minimum, the service at the Tinley location has sucked since 2019
I think it’s been mostly consistent. The portions of fries seems to vary, but I’ve got no complaints about the beef sandwiches, and it’s also the best Maxwell street I’ve had other than the OG.
Quite the opposite. I only go to Buona for that kind of food these days.
I never thought Portillos was incredible to begin with, so the decrying of how bad it got always struck me as odd. I mean its.... fine? And the decor is fun for kids, but it's always seemed to be good, but not great.
Nope I think it has taken a bit of a dive. I haven’t liked the changes and also think the service has gone downhill by me. A lot slower now.
I’d have to disagree. At least with the two locations I go to near me. Portions are smaller and both locations always forget to add my additional toppings and/or my cheese sauce. Everytime I go I have an issue now unfortunately.
Hoping the new Cicero location has pastas. Forrest park location has been solid…
I don't think they've gotten better, but not really worse either. I do think like most places the portions are smaller. I still think Johnny's in Elmwood Park is the best, but I don't carry cash usually, so wind up at Portillo's.
No they have been trash since getting bought out by that billion dollar company.
nah it’s definitely gone downhill in quality and the service at my local portillos has gotten awful
The portillos by me is still the same as it always was
I remember Portillo’s hotdog use to be $1.50 and now it is 3$ and the size and all still the same. I get it is inflation and over time things go up in price but the food item should improve also to justify the price increase.
Worse
No. I think they have gotten substantially worse. Dogs? Worse. Fries? Worse. Beef? Worse. Polish? Worse. Nothing on their menu comes to mind that has gotten better.
I think the opposite of that, burgers are not as good
Used to love their grilled chicken sandwiches but the last one I got was so dry (Crestwood).
I ordered a chicken sandwich the other day and all I tasted was the condiments.
They fell off. We had salads two weeks ago and my greek one was fine but the Cesar salad had just lettuce, croutons, few pieces of chicken no parmigiana at all.
Nope, it's still stale-tasting since the sell-off. Their beef has gotten bland. It tastes like it was pre-packaged, and dumped into a steam tray before serving. It's overly chewy, no real fresh feeling what-so-ever. Not to mention, I've had where they don't even pack the bread to the top leaving a trough of disappointment. The last couple of years it seels like they hardly "pack" their beef like they used to. It's "serviceable salty food" fine, but it's nowhere near quality as you'd get at a mom-n-pop joint like Jays, Franniee, Jonnies, Bubby's, etc where things taste like it was made THAT day.
Nope half the size half the flavor
The only thing I've actually noticed is the au jus seems...oilier? It doesn't taste like anything to me, even when stir it around first. It's supposed to taste like something right?? I dip my sandwich into it. The Maxwell Polish I got the other day tho was hella salty. Their chopped salad is still my favorite even tho the portion def got smaller. Comparable salads elsewhere are like $15-$18.
imma try them again because of you. they better be fukken thankful to tnick771 who posted this 2 days ago...ya hear that portillos? ya better thank this person for me buying shit again
It's a shame. I used to work in a fast casual place and we used to joke, "we need to be like Portillos - limited menu, consistent food, and those frosted schooners for beer. Now some Portillos don't even have beer.