Portillo’s restaurant chain planning to open Avon location

Chicago-based restaurant chain Portillo’s is planning its third Indianapolis-area location, this time in Avon.

Portillo's has filed plans for a property at 10400 U.S. 36, the site of a former Sears store. Jodi Dickey, the town of Avon’s planning and building director, said demolition of the old Sears building is under way, and new construction is expected to begin in May.

Portillo’s has not yet included Avon on its list of current or upcoming Indiana locations. IBJ could not immediately reach a company spokesperson for comment Wednesday morning. 

But, according to Avon public records, the Portillo’s store will occupy about 9,000 square feet with indoor seating for about 200 customers and a drive-through .

Portillo’s, which is known for its Italian beef sandwiches and Chicago-style hot dogs, was founded as a hot dog stand in Villa Park, Illinois, in 1963. It grew into a beloved chain of eateries contained mostly to the Chicagoland region. However, in recent years, the chain has begun spreading into other states.  and now has 57 locations.

The company opened its first Indianapolis-area store, in Fishers, in September. A second local store, at 8150 U.S. 31 on the south side of Indianapolis, is under construction and expected to open this summer.

Elsewhere in Indiana, Portillo’s has a location in Merrillville and another in Mishawaka.

It also has restaurants in Arizona, California, Florida, Minnesota and Wisconsin.

According to Nation’s Restaurant News, Portillo’s restaurants typically far outperform their peers in the fast-casual market, with annual sales of $8 million to $9 million per location.

By comparison, a typical Chili’s Grill & Bar does about $3.5 million in annual sales, and a Chipotle Mexican Grill does about $2.5 million.