Portillo's Merrillville — Restaurant in Ross Township

I went there back in April and had a terrible experience, which was the final straw for me after several consistently bad experiences with this location. I ended up filing a complaint and corporate gave me a $10 reward to make up for it. I was very grateful for that. I finally went back into the restaurant one week ago today and used that coupon and got food. Unfortunately, nothing has gotten better at this location. We ordered a cheeseburger, chili dog, two French fries, and a strawberry shake. I literally stood there for 35 minutes before I finally went up to the counter and asked what was going on with my food. I understand it was rush hour and dinner time, but there is still no reason this simple of an order should take that long. I could have sat down at a steak house and had my food sooner. The woman told me mine was right behind her and almost ready. I sat down and was immediately infuriated as I learned that both the burger and the chili cheese dog were cold. Not even remotely warm, but cold. I was so annoyed at that point that I didn’t even bother to get up and complain, as I would not have been nice or respectful about it. Additionally, the chili cheese dog was wrapped completely upside down, so it was a complete mess in the paper. I also want to let you know that over those 37 minutes I ended up standing there, 9 different people approached the counter because the food they received was not what they ordered or they were missing something from their order. Yes, nine. I am not exaggerating – I started to keep count once I noticed the third person walk up over a course of just a few minutes. I left the restaurant a voicemail that night (10/15), and have yet to receive a call back from them. It is obvious to me at this point that the management of this location simply does not care. The service has been this bad for a long time now, and has not...

I was in the area, so why not grab something quick before heading home, right? Wrong! I don't know how long I spent in the drive-thru, but my order had to be remade. The only thing that kept me from getting upset was that the two young ladies working the drive-thru were frustrated for me. I would've given them four stars for their effort, and the gesture of a free piece of chocolate cake, for my trouble, but the cake was stale. Get it together Portillo's! I would recommend going inside to order your food, because the drive-thru is pure chaos and confusion. They didn't know what order went to what car.

Update: DO NOT give this place your business! I ordered an Italian beef combo, and was asked if I wanted an Italian beef with a sausage, or an Italian beef with a fry. I told the order taker that I wanted an Italian beef with a fry, extra dipped, cheddar cheese, and sweet peppers. What did I get? A sausage with cheddar cheese! Who orders a sausage to be dipped with cheese and peppers? Sounds like an order for an Italian beef, right? What’s the use of having your order taken outside, if you’re going to be ignored? Even after clarifying what I wanted, they still got the order wrong! My order wasn’t read back to me after ordering, nor was it read to me at the window. The food was room temperature by the time that I got home too, so it had to be sitting in the window, before it was handed to me. I advised people to stay out of the drive thru, in my last review. This time I’m advising you to stay away from this location! Ever since Portillo’s franchised, the menu, service, and quality of the food has gone down. Spend a little extra, and go to a...

Update: 7/7/24, Stopped at Portillo's like I almost always do on my way back to Michigan. Ordered inside, because they ALWAYS forget the side of gravy in the drive thru. Going inside didn't matter, as I made sure to check before I left and sure enough, no gravy.

That wasn't the worst part though. When we got back home to enjoy our beefs with mozzarella and hot peppers, we found out that they were just plain beefs. How do you forget to add the cheese and peppers? They were super busy that day and the amount of people I watched take their orders back up to get fixed was insane. It seemed to be at least 50% of the orders were wrong, maybe more.

I'm a shareholder of Portillo's because I love their food so much. If this is how they're going to operate, then I may need to sell my shares.

Old review from 2019: Hands down, the best Italian beef sandwich I've ever had. People have claimed to have had a better one, but I'm not buying it. I think those people are stupid and don't know what good food really is. I've tried "others" that have claimed to be better. Only to reconfirm the fact that Portillo's has the best beefs on the planet. Want to have your mind blown... order a piece of chocolate cake. Yes, it's the best chocolate cake on the planet!!! No, I don't want to try one somewhere else, because you think it's better. (I would actually try it, because I love cake, but I know it's not better than Portillo's chocolate cake.) Want to have your mind explode... order the chocolate cake shake. They literally, put a piece of cake in your shake and it is heaven in the form of a shake. I think they may have gotten the recipe from...