Portillos is a family owned and operated business where nepotism runs rampent as do civil wars between the family members in power. Knowing which sides to ally with are more important than skill in your job.
Positions are handed out to Employees with the last name "Portillo" or employees that have been with the company over 20 years. The company is harshly resistant to change and its business model is built upon arrogance.
It offers up no meaningful marketing strategies nor innovated consumer facing changes and benefits off the fact that it's considered a "tourist attraction" to out of state visitors and an aging "old school" chicago clientele. In short, Portillos does nothing to earn the business it has and no one there should take pride in any of the sales generated. Customers go to portillos because their parents went there. Attempts at customer acquisition or to drive up catering sales with creative upselling strategies are ignored.
The logistical behind the scenes practices are never built from the ground up but instead are Frankenstein like abominations consisting of new suggestions slapped on top of old systems. This is because the company refuses to cycling in new team leads into positions that require innovation. They allow employees to become the King of their particular kingdoms and when that employee is not forced to innovate processes become stagnent and you end up with systems that include hand checked spread sheets, fax machines and Excel and accuracy/oversight with no technological backup.
