Portillo's Elmhurst — Restaurant in Villa Park

Not as good as it used to be... purchased an Italian beef bowl, a favorite of mine for years, on 2/24/24 at about 5:45 PM. In the past when ordering this, I would receive a roll of french bread with it and pay for a second roll to split the bowl into 2 sandwiches. One for the day I ordered, and other for the next day. However, last night there wasn't any bread. I asked the staff member who handed me my food in the drive through if I could have an extra piece of bread, in which he told me I'd have to buy separately as the bowls don't come with it. I told him about my past experiences and he told me "well, they should've charged you".

I enter the restaurant with my receipt and asked the cashier, Julianna, for 2 rolls of french bread with my bowl. I recounted how I've orders bowls in the past, and how in the drive through I was told it'd be an additional charge. Julianna then proceeds to tell me in a condescending tone "so...the point of the bowl is that you don't have bread with it". She smirked and asked her male coworker handling the bread behind her for a roll, the 2 of them giggling and smirking. I asked for a 2nd roll, which I have no problem paying for as it came to about $2.60. The coworker then asks Julianna out loud "another one?" I know the main purpose of the bowl and that my way of ordering isn't common. I order the way I do out of preference, but that's besides the point. I was bothered more by the way the staff members spoke to me and acted.

Customer service needs improvement. The staff I interacted with seemed fairly young, possibly teenagers working their first jobs. Regardless, there's a way to talk to people. I've worked in the food industry, and have had my fair share of weird or silly customer requests. However, if you're going to have that type of reaction, at least make sure the customer isn't right in front of you or in earshot...No longer going to frequent this location. I highly recommend the Villa Park, Willowbrook and Downer's Grove locations if close by. Same great food, and staff that...

Well I have quite a bit to say about Portillo's Elmhurst. As someone who enjoys a good cheat day every now and again, I decided to venture outside of my comfort zone and try out an unconventional spot; one whose menu is geared is towards the meat-eater; with a friend, who recommended Portillo's. Now, while this is not a place I would ever frequent personally, I choose to remain objective in my assessments as a Local Guide. Simply put, Portillo's deserves 5-stars; regardless of whether or not it's my preferred style of dining. First and foremost, what an intriguing choice in decor! Cheeky, eclectic signage immediately thrusts one into second-hand nostalgia upon entry; regardless of age. This immediately heightened the experience for me. Service was incredibly quick for such well-seasoned, appetizing menu items (wait-time under 7 minutes for fresh fries and a large order with an array of menu items). Additionally, the attendant taking orders clarified all questions with grace and poise (considering I was not familiar with the menu, this helped me navigate the extensive list of options greatly). Everything we ordered matched/ exceeded description; regardless of whether the menu item was sweet or savory (10/10 would recommend the strawberry lemon cake shake). While seating itself is not geared towards larger parties (this may have been intentional on behalf of architectural oversight; considering the Elmhurst location is one with a more space-constrained floorplan), there were high-chairs readily available (+5 points for kid-friendliness). I also thought the prospect of catering Portillo's seemed exciting; particularly with the strategically-placed table setup alongside ordering space; essentially, I was impressed with both general business model exemplified and overall experience I had within the establishment. What a fun, interesting experience! Thank you, Portillo's Elmhurst. Definitely a gem...

I came through 15 minutes before close - shi**y timing on my part, but I had just gotten in town from another state. I ordered an IT beef with cheese sauce and peppers, a small cheese fry and a hot dog with everything. I had 3 drinks with this order. Simple enough. It got rang in wrong somehow and I was charged for my food and another item that I didn’t order (a hotdog with cheese sauce). No biggie, I let them know at the second window after seeing my receipt. The host name on the receipt was Jazmin (didn’t give me my receipt back). The cashier was not the problem, it was whoever she asked to fix the order. I never caught her name, I don’t care to know anyone so vulgar. Not just towards me but to her coworker, I felt bad for the cashier honestly… the problem child tried to mend the situation with some cake but I don’t even like cake. She kept yelling about how she didn’t know what she was supposed to do since they put everything away already. She never even asked what the issue was, I’ve worked service industry for YEARS and already had a simple solution in mind. I wasn’t asking them to remake anything, I just wanted some cheese SOS for the beef and a refund for the extra hotdog. I didn’t see an issue with any of this until I heard her start screaming at her coworker (the cashier), then she approached me with an aggressive demeanor as well. That’s when this all became problem. I’m very unimpressed with and disappointed in that particular employee and how she chose to act while handling this...