How Portillo's is run
At the end of 2025 Portillo's owned and operated 102 restaurants in 11 states, one of them through a joint venture it half owns. (Portillo's annual report, 2025)
Franchises like Portillo's
If you want to own a hot dog and Italian beef business, these franchise brands sell the closest thing to Portillo's, largest first.
| Brand | Cost to open | Fee | Royalty | Locations | Sales a location |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nathan's Famous Branded Menu ProgramFee $8K · Royalty No sales royalty; purchases required | $57K–$202K | $8K | No sales royalty; purchases required | 76−10 in 3 yrs | – |
| Dog HausFee $40K · Royalty 6% · Sales $1.45M a location | $357K–$626K | $40K | 6% | 59+7 in 3 yrs | $1.45M |
| Giordano'sFee $40K · Royalty 6% | $1.59M–$2.09M | $40K | 6% | 56−9 in 3 yrs | – |
| Hot Dog on a StickFee $25K · Royalty 6% · Sales $534K a location | $541K–$679K | $25K | 6% | 46−4 in 3 yrs | $534K |
| Crave Hot Dogs & BBQFee $45K · Royalty 8% | $261K–$1.07M | $45K | 8% | 22+8 in 3 yrs | – |
| Al's #1 Italian BeefFee $35K · Royalty 6% | $945K–$1.34M | $35K | 6% | 5−1 in 3 yrs | – |
Locations are US locations, franchised and company-owned, at the end of the latest year filed. Sales are yearly, before costs, where the brand publishes them.
Nathan's Famous Branded Menu Program is the largest, with 76 US locations. Crave Hot Dogs & BBQ added the most locations, +8 over 3 years. Of the brands that publish sales, Dog Haus reports the most per location, $1.45M a year. The typical restaurant franchise starts at $408K to open; see where the money goes.