Dive Brief:
- Portillo’s opened its first airport location at Terminal B in Dallas Fort Worth on Wednesday, the chain said in a press release.
- The restaurant, which has a small dine-in area for about 50 guests and pickup-only area, offers various ordering options, including at the register, self-order kiosks, order-ahead pickup and a grab-and-go area.
- While Portillo’s has grappled with underperformance in the Texas market, it continues to open stores in the Lone Star State. Through April, the chain opened five Texas locations in 2026, according to an earnings release.
Dive Insight:
Portillo’s disappointing openings in Texas last year, led the chain to reduce its new opening targets and sales projections. The chain said during the January ICR Conference that it opened too many Texas locations close together in a short amount of time. Combined with a lack of brand awareness, sales were below expectations.
The chain has been working on addressing productivity issues at its Texas restaurants and saw some improvements in back-of-house productivity and some topline growth during the first quarter, CEO Brett Patterson said during a May earnings call. It’s also working on an integrated marketing plan for the region as well, he added.
An airport location could help boost brand awareness and sales, and airports typically have higher unit volumes compared to traditional locations. Other chains, including Dine Brands, Auntie Anne’s, and Wahlburgers, are among those to recently open new airport locations.
Portillo’s airport menu will include beef sandwiches, hot dogs, char-broiled burgers, French fries and slices of chocolate cake. In addition, Portillo’s will offer a breakfast menu, including Polish sausage, an egg and cheese sandwich and a maple sausage and egg croissant, making it one of the only Portillo’s to offer this daypart.
The chain previously tested breakfast in a handful of Chicago locations in 2025, but ended the pilot in September.
Portillo’s posted a same-restaurant sales decline of 0.1% during the first quarter. The chain expects to have a total of eight restaurant openings this year, according to an earnings release.
