Portillo's New Lenox — Restaurant in New Lenox

Supporting what Kay M. wrote just before me. Ordered our food online. Pickup scheduled for 5:38pm and notice sent order was ready at 5:38pm. Parked in the lot about 5:45 after receiving our number, 71. After about 45 minutes we tried calling into the store. The little snot answering the phone hung up on us twice after saying he was getting a manager. On the third call, they didn't even pick up. Must have recognized the same number calling for the 3rd time. At this point, I got out of the car and went to talk to the girl, Alysa (sp?), who was controlling traffic and handing out numbers. She used her radio to check on the order. I heard them say we are working on it several times. So I was thinking okay, it'll be out soon. Another 20 minutes go by and now cars that had come after us, were already leaving with their orders and as Kat said, all the drive through orders were fulfilled before the online orders. So after a little bit more and at this point it's an hour and 15 later, Alysa walks to another car who seemed to have been waiting just as long. She saw us and walked over at least acknowledging we're still here. She got on the radio again to check the order, and now they don't seem to have an order with the name that was used to place the order. "Is it under another name?", "How it is spelled?", "What is the order number?" All this with two hungry screaming kids in the back seat. I said tell the manager to come outside so I can talk to them. Their response on the radio was they can't because they are too busy and to call in again. At this point I was gonna lose it! I thanked Alysa for trying and made it clear that I knew it wasn't her fault but there is something wrong with this system. I asked her for a large fries so I could at least give my kids something to eat since they were so hungry at this point, which she delivered on 5 minutes later. So, still waiting on my order, I see more and more people getting out of their cars and calling the employees over to figure out where their orders are. I totally understand everyone's frustrations, especially for ruining MOTHERS DAY FOR SO MANY PEOPLE!!!! Finally 10 minutes later, at a total of an hour and a half, they made the order and brought it out. I asked Alysa who the manager was and she said the GM's name is Brittany. I let her know I'll be calling in to have a chat with Brittany later today or tomorrow. Got home, and partially got what we ordered. The food was there, but we asked for triple dipped and cut, but at this point beggars can't be choosers. So irritated by it all, I called the store and had what sounded like another snot nosed teenager answer the phone. I asked, "what time are you guys open till?" Response 10pm. "Are you busy?" Response: not as busy as before but still trying to catch up on orders. I tell the person on the phone, I understand and can you have the GM Brittany call me when she has a chance. I get back, "Britney who." So I say Brittany the GM, take my number my name and have her call me when she isn't so busy. Haven't heard back, and then read Kat's post and just had to post here. All in all sat in the car with my wife and 2 infants for an hour and a half! Didn't get exactly what we ordered because they lost the order. And now I'm left questioning whether I'll eat Portillo's again or not. Sure as heck ain't going back to New Lenox Portillo's. Not how I wanted to treat my wife to Mother's Day dinner!!!!

This is what happens when family owned goes corporate.

Kudos to Alysa though for trying to...

MUST READ...Horrible service!! I Have been at this location a few times and every single time we give them another chance, we regret it. Today I placed an online PICK UP order. When I arrived to pick my order up, all doors where locked. I had to ask a drive through employee to get a manger. The Manger(Frank) came out in a combative manner and ask what I needed. I explained that I placed a PICK UP order and was here to pick it up. The manager told me I needed to get in the drive through line (which would of took at least 20-30 minutes). I told him I wasn’t going to do that because food was scheduled as a PICK ORDER and would be ready at 8:23pm and I already waited 25 minutes from the time I placed my order online. Then the manger just repeated “the inside was closed and I needed to get in the drive through line.” He was speaking extremely fast and with a angry tone. I didn’t understand what was going on (because he wasn’t explaining why and speaking to me in a formal way like a MANGER should). I ask if he could just bring me my order (which I already paid for). The manger replied “ no I will not”. I asked him to please cancel my order and the manger walked into the building without confirming that he was goin to canceled my order. So, I just stood outside wondering and waiting to see if he was actually going to honor my request. Frank the manger came back outside and handed me a receipt. I asked, “is this a receipt showing that my order was canceled it’s dark out and can’t see.” The manger replied “yes”. I asked him again if he was the actual manger, and he replied “yes”. Then I replied, “WOW that’s shocking because you do not act like a manger.” You spoke to me with a combative tone and were very short and not clear on explaining why I had to go through the drive through line for a PICK ORDER. Then I asked for his name. He replied “Frank” and if I had a problem to take it up with WILL COUNTY for shutting them down (which I still have no clue what he is referring about). I told him I will be calling corporate to file a complaint because I didn’t appreciate the way I was treated by him. At this time Frank became HOSTILE. Frank pulled off his face mask covering and began to scream at me while approaching me in an extremely hostile, combative and threatening manner. I told him not to get close to me because his MASK was off and not only did I feel THREATENED he was going to be violent, I was more worried he could be a carrier of COVID-19 and I could contract it. I am appalled of what...

recently went to Portillo’s hoping for a fun and satisfying meal, especially since so many people talk about how iconic the place is. Overall, my experience was just okay—not terrible, but definitely not what I was expecting for the price and reputation.

To start with the good: the restaurant itself was very clean. The floors, tables, and counters were well-kept, and everything looked neat and in order, which is always a great first impression. The décor also has that unique Portillo’s charm with a retro-style vibe that makes the space feel more interesting than your average fast-food chain.

The food was solid. I ordered a classic hamburger with fries and a drink, and it came out pretty slowly. Had to wait a good 15mins. Everything was warm, fresh, and tasted good. You can tell they put care into preparing the food, and I can see why some people absolutely love it.

BUT—here’s where things went downhill for me.

First of all, it’s ridiculously EXPENSIVE for what you get. I spent over $20 on one meal, and while it was tasty, it didn’t feel worth the cost at all. It’s fast-casual food at sit-down restaurant prices. I don’t mind paying more if the food and experience blow me away, but this just didn’t deliver enough to justify the cost.

Second, and probably the most disappointing part: the staff was not friendly at all. From the moment I walked in, I felt like I was bothering them just by being there. No smiles, no eye contact, and when I asked a quick question about the menu, the person behind the counter gave me a rushed and kind of annoyed response. I get that they might be busy or having a rough day—but customer service really matters, and it left a bad taste in my mouth (more than the food did).

There was no “thank you,” no check-in to see if we needed anything else, and no real effort to be welcoming. For a place with such a big name and loyal following, I was honestly surprised at how cold and unwelcoming the experience felt.

In conclusion: Portillo’s does have some positives—the place is clean, the food is decent, and the menu has variety—but the high prices and unfriendly service definitely brought the experience down a notch. I’m not sure I’d go out of my way to come back unless someone else really wanted to go. It wasn’t awful, but it wasn’t great either. I...