Just in time for National Hot Dog Day, Portillo's opens second Michigan location in Livonia

LIVONIA (WWJ) — Metro Detroiters now have a new spot to get a taste of Chicago.

Portillo’s, which started as a small hot dog stand in the Chicago suburb of Villa Park more than 60 years ago, opened its second location in Michigan on Tuesday, just in time for National Hot Dog Day on Wednesday.

Joining the Sterling Heights location that opened just prior to the COVID pandemic, officials cut the ribbon on a new restaurant on Middlebelt Road near I-96/Schoolcraft.

With more than 80 locations across the country, Portillo’s is best known for its "top quality" all-beef hot dogs — from the classic Chicago Style dog to polish sausage creations.

But Michael Portillo, founder Dick Portillo’s son and now VP of Restaurant Support, says there’s another great Chicago specialty on the menu — the Italian beef sandwich.

“I think at Portillo’s you’ve gotta have a hot dog, but right now I’m partial to Italian beef with our home cooked sweet peppers on it and our burgers,” Portillo told WWJ’s Mike Campbell.

Aside from Portillo’s own growing success, Livonia Mayor Maureen Brosnan said history bodes well for the chain’s newest location.

“There is not a single restaurant that has ever failed on this site,” she said. “There have been national chains that have gone out of business and they’ve gone out of business as this No. 1 restaurant in their chain was forced to close because the chain closed. But never because the restaurants here in our city didn’t turn out to be top-notch performers.”

The new Portillo’s location will be open 10 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. daily, with extended hours until 11 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.

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