Portillo's operates a chain of 102 company-owned fast-casual restaurants serving Chicago-style street food, including Italian beef sandwiches, Chicago-style hot dogs, char-broiled burgers, and its signature chocolate cake. All locations are company-owned — there is no franchise model — so profitability depends entirely on four-wall restaurant economics. Revenue is driven by unit count, average unit volume (AUV, currently ~$8.6M system-wide), and same-restaurant sales growth. Customers order through dine-in, drive-thru, digital pickup, delivery, and catering, with drive-thru representing a significant share of sales. Portillo's is rooted in the Chicago market, where brand awareness is near-saturation, but has been expanding into Sun Belt states. After overexpanding in Texas ahead of sufficient brand awareness, Portillo's announced a strategic reset in 2025 — slowing new openings, pausing uncontracted sites, and focusing on driving trial in existing new markets. New unit formats are a key focus: the 6,250 sq ft "Restaurant of the Future 1.0" targets ~$5.2M–$5.5M build costs, and a smaller 2.0 format is expected in 2026. The company launched its Perks loyalty program in early 2025, reaching 2M members by year-end, and is testing breakfast and deploying AI-assisted drive-thru technology to improve throughput.