Portillo’s, famed Chicago hot dog joint, could be coming to North Texas next year

Famed Chicago-based hot dog restaurant Portillo’s could be coming to North Texas next year, according to reports in Forbes and the Chicago Tribune.

The company declined to comment to the Star-Telegram on the possible store opening, but Forbes reported Texas is the No. 1 state Portillo’s ships product to, citing the cold Chicago winters pushing Northerners to Texas as a reason for that high volume.

Portillo’s went public Oct. 21 and jumped more than 50% in hours, Forbes reported. While the company currently has locations in only nine states, it plans to use money from its initial public offering to pay off debt and make expansion into places like North Texas more viable.

The company hopes to open a store in the Dallas market next year, according to Forbes, along with three other locations. Two new locations are expected to open in the fourth quarter of 2021.

The company has not released any information about exactly when or where this new store could be.