Portillo’s plans drive-thru location in Plainfield

Plainfield is on its way to getting its very own Portillo’s.

Although there still are a few details of the agreement to be worked out, Plainfield Mayor John Argoudelis said, Plainfield will have its own Portillo’s at the corner of Route 59 and 135th Street in a former PNC bank building.

“It is something we have been working on for months,” Argoudelis said. “We have a few details to work out with traffic improvements.”

The announcement came a little earlier than planned after a developer speaking at the Plainfield Village Board Committee of the Whole meeting last week on another issue mentioned that he would be back to present details of the new Portillo’s.

This led to Argoudelis receiving a slew of phone calls since residents watch the meeting online.

He decided to confirm the news in a recent Facebook post complete with a photo of chocolate cake along with the phrase “A historic wrong – righted,” referring to an old legend that the Shorewood Portillo’s originally had been planned for Plainfield.

With about 70 locations around the Chicago area in addition to other locations in the Midwest and California, Florida, Arizona and Texas, the Italian beef and hot dog mainstay has lofty goals of adding about 900 additional locations over the next 20 years.

It is expected that the Plainfield Portillo’s would be a drive-thru location only “because the building is not large enough for a sit-down,” Argoudelis said.

This follows the first-ever drive-thru-only location that opened in Joliet in 2022 on Larkin Avenue.

More new restaurants

However, Portillo’s is not the only new restaurant on the horizon in Plainfield.

Argoudelis cited the residents as the reason new businesses are looking to open their doors in Plainfield.

“The number of people that live here, the median income levels, the traffic counts all check the box” for new businesses coming to the area, he said.

The Clifton Bar and Wood Fire Kitchen is scheduled to open in July on Lockport Street in downtown Plainfield. It is replacing Giambotta Pizza Co., which closed in January 2022 after three years in business.

The interior of the restaurant has been completely remodeled, Argoudelis said.

The plumbing and electrical issues in the building also have been corrected, he said.

Clifton will feature small plates, fresh salads of local produce, wood-fired pizzas and main dishes.

Fuse’d, located at 24402 W. Lockport St., also is scheduled to open in early July, replacing Tap House Grill, which closed earlier this year.

Fuse’d is the latest concept from the Major Threat Restaurant Group, which also owns Chop’d, Craft’d and Khaos Brewcade & Kitchen.

These restaurants follow the opening of Altiro Latin Fusion, which opened in downtown Plainfield earlier this year.

The family-owned tapas-style restaurant also has locations in Aurora, Geneva and Wheaton.

“After the first of the year, we had several restaurants close for different reasons,” Argoudelis said.

He said it was in the restaurants’ best interests to stay open during the holiday season since it typically is one of the restaurant industry’s busiest times.

However, Argoudelis said: “Look what happened. New places have snatched up these open spots.”

In addition, Black Dog Distillery in the Warehouse District continues to move through the building permit process, said Jake Melrose, the village of Plainfield’s economic development director.

He said Taco Bell also is under construction on Route 59, just north of 127th Street.

“The village is also working with the Boulevard Place (about 172 acres of land situated at the northwest quadrant of Interstate 55 and Route 30) developer to bring Cooper’s Hawk to the site, as well as Panda Express, Jamba Juice and Auntie Anne’s,” Melrose said. “A restaurant prospect is still considering the former Opera House space, and we look forward to when they move forward.”