Portillo’s® started in 1963 with a single food cart that has since grown into a restaurant staple known for serving authentic Chicago street food. The first brick-and-mortar location was established in the early 1980s and it expanded outside of Illinois in 2005 for the first time. Today they have 70 locations, sending a taste of Chicago across the U.S.

If you’re familiar with Portillo’s® and have been experiencing a difficult time finding Portillo’s® franchise information, or even Portillo’s® franchise cost, that is because they do not offer franchises. They are a restaurant chain, but there is no opportunity to become a Portillo’s® franchisee.

Portillo’s® offers a great style of food that appeals to a variety of people, and the business has an easy-to-operate model. But since you can’t own a Portillo’s® franchise, we have another” taste of Chicago” suggestion for you: an Antioch Pizza Shop franchise.

An Alternative to a Portillo’s Franchise

The Antioch Pizza Shop story began with two high school sweethearts who grew up to become an engineer and an educator. Realizing they wanted more out of life than they were achieving with their respective careers, Art and Karen Wicklein bought a pizza shop that was founded in 1977. It was an opportunity to give back to their community, supporting sports teams, churches, and schools. Their mission was to become “the crust of the community.”

39 years later, they decided to pursue franchising. The Antioch Pizza Shop went on the market as a franchise opportunity in 2016, buoyed by its community-focused mission. This is not your typical pizza franchise; this is a franchise for people who want more out of life, not only for their personal careers but for their neighborhoods.

The goal for Antioch Pizza Shop is to be fully integrated into every community in which they are located, and that means having a menu that can appeal to everyone. To make this happen, the owners came up with a menu that includes gluten-free options, frozen pizza, message pizza, a selection of appetizers, burgers and hot dogs, famous Chicago Italian beef and sausage, pasta, salads, wings, and sweets.

Four Ways to Open an Antioch Pizza Shop

Every franchise option with Antioch Pizza Shop includes training by industry experts, access to all the brand and marketing materials you could need, and a resource library full of ways to grow your business. There is help with site selection, planning and ordering, catering training, and more to get you launched. An ongoing support commitment ensures you never have a question that goes unanswered and that you are fully confident in the operation of your business.

Antioch Pizza Shop recognizes that there is more than one way to deliver great food and support your community. Here are the four business models they created:

Dine-In Restaurant

The traditional restaurant location with dine-in and take-out and delivery service. The recommended size of the restaurant is 2,000-3,000 square feet. Initial fee: $40,000. Total initial investment: $218,000-$696,500.

Take-Out Delivery Only Restaurant

With limited indoor seating, this option focuses on having customer pick up their order. The recommended size of the restaurant is 1,000-2,000 square feet. Initial fee: $40,000. Total initial investment: $218,000-$696,500.

Express Restaurant

This is a smaller version of the take-out and delivery restaurant and carries a limited menu. The recommended size of the restaurant is 1,000-2,000 square feet. Initial fee: $35,000. Total initial investment: $101,500-$324,000.

Food Truck

Make pizza mobile with a food truck and a limited traveling menu. The costs include the purchase of a food truck. Initial fee: $20,000. Total initial investment: $103,500-$189,500.

All fees vary depending on the cost of leased space, insurance, inventory required, and so on, all of which are included with more details in the franchise disclosure document.

Explore the Opportunity with Antioch Pizza Shop

Americans consume 23 pounds of pizza per year! That’s why the pizza business is a $45.1 billion industry. ]Antioch Pizza Shop isn’t just another store in this obviously lucrative food sector; we do things a little differently in terms of the culture of the community. We are so much more than a pizza franchise and we look forward to talking with you about franchise opportunities.

Submit a franchise form from our website to start your inquiry with us.

Note: Portillo’s® is a registered trademark of Portillo’s Hot Dogs, LLC.