Portillo's starting delivery throughout suburbs today
Beginning today, Portillo's restaurants will begin delivering its hot dogs, shakes, chopped salad and other menu items throughout Chicago and the suburbs.
The Oak Brook-based fast casual restaurant is joining a number of eateries and grocery stores in delivering their products. “We've been working on this for a while now,” CEO Keith Kinsey said Monday.
The delivery service will be available at all Chicago and suburban restaurants and 94 percent of restaurants nationwide. In Illinois, delivery is not currently available from restaurants in Normal and Rockford.
Portillo's is partnering with DoorDash, an on-demand restaurant delivery platform. Through the partnership, DoorDash drivers will fulfill delivery orders placed through both Portillo's and DoorDash's respective websites and mobile apps. Customers can visit portillos.com to find the delivery location nearest to them, said Nick Scarpino, Portillo's vice president of marketing and public relations.
The two companies have completed a soft launch to iron out the kinks and make sure “everything is right,” Kinsey said. For example, insulated bags are used and sealed to keep food hot, cool compartments are used to transport the shakes, and all the utensils must be included, Kinsey said. It costs $5 for delivery and the minimum order is $15, Kinsey said.
He added that San Francisco-based DoorDash, with offices in Chicago, has agreed to open an additional 13 locations in an effort to better deliver the Portillo's brand. Elgin, New Lenox and Champaign are a few of the new locations.
“For more than four years, DoorDash has prided itself in forming partnerships with the best restaurants in every city,” said Toby Espinosa, head of business development for DoorDash. “Today we are proud to add another top restaurant to our platform by working with Portillo's, a Chicagoland staple, to power their delivery across the country,” he said.
“Our new delivery offering continues the tradition of innovation set forward by our company's founder Dick Portillo,” Kinsey said.