Portillo’s opens its first Georgia location in Kennesaw. Here’s what locals say.

Portillo’s, a fast-casual chain known for serving Chicago street food, first opened a little over a month ago in Kennesaw. The new restaurant, located in the Town Center at Cobb development, is still garnering traffic on nearby roads, a police presence and tables packed with customers wanting to try the Chicago delicacies.

Alston had to try “two or three” more times before she was able to get into the restaurant, which she was able to do over a month after her first try.

“We got lucky,” Alston said.

Credit: Handout

Credit: Handout

The Kennesaw restaurant may be Georgia’s first Portillo’s, but it is the company’s 100th location in the country.

“As we continue to grow and expand our footprint across the Sun Belt, entering the bustling Atlanta market was a no-brainer,” Portillo’s CEO Michael Osanloo said in a news release.

Just about a mile away in the same Town Centre, the Varsity’s Kennesaw location sits, with a menu similar to Portillo’s own, including its legendary chili dogs.

Patrons at the Kennesaw Portillo’s visit hoping to try something exciting.

“My husband and my stepdad are super excited,” Morganne Henderson told the AJC. “My stepdad’s from Chicago, and my husband just loves meat.

Henderson, who was visiting from Canton and meeting up with family driving in from Sandy Springs, was unintimidated by the restaurant’s busyness and just looking forward to trying something new.

At the Varsity down the street, however, is a short drive-thru line and much calmer dining room in comparison to Portillo’s. This is a departure for the Atlanta chain once known for its busy lines.

For the patrons at the city’s newest hot dog joint, on the other hand, the long lines are a welcome part of the Portillo’s experience.

“Even though there’s, you know, long lines and whatnot, it goes by pretty quick,” Patty Mahayag told the AJC.

Mahayag, who was recommended the spot by her colleagues from Chicago, has already visited a few times since it opened. She was invited to the restaurant’s soft opening, “somehow,” she says, where she and others were able to try free food from Portillo’s expansive menu.

“And it was amazing,” Mahayag said.

She was impressed by the food and said “it seemed fresh” in comparison to similar restaurants she has eaten at.

For chains like the Varsity, they will have to find out exactly what it is that made many of their local customers jump to newer chains, unless they are willing to accept these shorter lines for good.