A Chicago hot dog and beef sandwich chain is looking to touch down near DIA as it expands into Colorado.
Portillo’s submitted plans to the city last week proposing a 6,250-square-foot restaurant on nearly 2 acres of land at the northwest corner of 57th Avenue and Tower Road in Green Valley Ranch.
The site is currently a vacant lot across the street from Sprouts and apartment buildings.
It’s the first known Colorado location where Portillo’s has proposed operating. The company teased last year that it wanted to expand to Colorado.
A spokeswoman for Portillo’s declined to comment on the plans.
The plans call for 98 parking spots and a two-lane drive-thru. Outside, there would be a 500-square-foot patio to enjoy a taste of Chicago.
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The restaurant would sit on an approximately 150-acre site, bounded by 56th Avenue to the south and 60th Avenue to the north, that is owned by Karl D. Smith, public records show. Illinois-based Kensington Development is planning to develop a project called “Link 56” at the site. It would be anchored by a Target.
Portillo’s, which is known for its “cake shake” — an entire piece of chocolate cake blended into a milkshake — currently has 77 restaurants in 10 states, with plans to open hundreds more in the coming years.
Portillo’s went public in 2021 after selling nearly three-fourths of its equity to private investment firm Berkshire Partners a decade ago. The company often buys the land and leases the building back to itself, though it’s unclear if that arrangement will take place in Denver with this parcel.
An incoming Portillo’s would be big news to many Denverites who have moved west in recent years. Between 2021 and 2022, over 9,000 people moved from Illinois to Colorado, making it the No. 4 state for sending people to the Centennial State, according to census data reported by The Denver Post.