Dick Portillo

About Me

Richard "Dick" Portillo is the founder of fast-casual restaurant chain Portillo's, known for its Chicago-style hot dogs and Italian beef sandwiches. He started out with a hot dog stand in the Chicago suburb of Villa Park in 1963, spending his and his wife Sharon's life savings of $1,100 to start the business. After growing the business to about $300 million in revenues and 38 locations in four states, he sold it to private equity firm Berkshire Partners for nearly $1 billion in 2014. He's since built a real estate empire including 24 Portillo's locations and commissaries, suburban strip malls in Chicago, industrial properties in Indianapolis and apartments in Houston. Portillo is also the majority owner of the Boathouse at Disney Springs in Florida, America's third-highest-grossing independent restaurant.