In 1963, Dick Portillo, a Marine Corps veteran, used $1,100 from his and his wife’s savings to open a hot dog stand. This money was originally intended for a house, but his mother-in-law convinced his wife to support the venture.
The original stand was a 6’ x 12’ trailer called “The Dog House” located on North Avenue. It had no running water or bathroom; Portillo had to run a 250-foot garden hose from a nearby building to get water.
Portillo initially knew very little about cooking hot dogs. Early customers received overcooked franks and burnt buns. To improve, he performed “reconnaissance” by visiting the established Gene & Jude’s to watch how they steamed buns and even snuck into their storeroom to see which relish they used.
Within five months, the quality improved and the stand became a success.
In 1967, the business moved into its first brick-and-mortar building and was officially renamed “Portillo’s”.
635 1/2 North Ave) in Villa Park, Illinois. Still standing and strong than ever to this day!
*I ate here a lot as a kid!*
