The Popular Chicago Restaurant Chain Customers Say Has Gone Downhill

There was a time when a trip to Chicago wasn't complete without a stop at a certain chain restaurant. It's a street food place that serves beef and sausage sandwiches, burgers, Chicago-style hot dogs, pasta, and more — a Windy City legend known as Portillo's. For decades, the chain was famous for outrageously stacked hoagies; in my family, the favorite is the Italian Beef, piled high with thin-sliced roast beef and hot giardiniera peppers and soaked in gravy. We also love a Portillo's hot dog with all the toppings, but what person from the Chicago area doesn't (here's the historic reason Chicago loves hot dogs)? But that obligatory Portillo's stop hasn't been as important over the last few years, though, and that's because for many patrons, the quality is starting to slide.

Portillo's offerings are a little lackluster these days, even if you choose from its 12 best-ranked menu items. They don't have as much meat on the sandwiches as they once did, but that's just the beginning of the issues that customers have noticed. Stories of disappointment range from a practically cheese-less Beef and Cheddar Croissant to smaller portions and slower, less satisfying service from the employees. And customers have pinpointed Portillo's decline to one event: the 2014 sale of the company to private equity firm Berkshire Partners.

Portillo's started in 1963 as a family-owned business that sold hot dogs out of a trailer, and has since ballooned to a net worth of more than $360 million. It's one of many major food industry successes to come out of Chicago, inclduing the Buona's Original Rainbow Cone and Garrett Popcorn. Portillo's has always served a menu of classic Chicago comfort food in big portions, and that was a major draw for customers. But when founder Dick Portillo sold the company to Berkshire Partners in 2014, that change to private equity ownership sparked a "steep drop in quality," according to Reddit users who weighed in on the subject. Portillo's business structure changed again in 2021 when it went public, but that also didn't stop the downward turn.

Now a visit to Portillo's is hit-or-miss. You might encounter a handful of employees as lackluster as the sandwiches they're serving and an order that feels lighter than before. Prices are higher than ever, too, so a long-time fan might feel a little extra sting of disappointment when placing that Portillo's order. So far, the locations I've visited still sling a great-tasting roast beef sandwich, but the fact remains that it's definitely lighter on the ingredients than it was even five years ago.