Dead Page: Frank Portillo, Father of Brown's Chicken and Portill's in Chicagoland

FRANK PORTILLO, SR. 1909-2007

Father of Successful restaurateurs- Worked as laborer and salesman before raising sons who run Portillo and Brown's Chicken

From July 20th Chicago Tribune. Obituary by Trevor Jensen

Frank Portillo, Sr. died July 17th.

He had a childhood in El Paso, Tx, and Dawson, NM, where his mother ran a boarding house for miners. He followed his older brother Julian to Chicago in the mid-1920s. His first job involved hanging horsehides at a Goose Island tannery where he met his future wife, Beulah.

After marriage, he held a succession of jobs, none of which earned much money for the family. They were among the first residents in the Near North Side of Chicago public housing project that became Cabrini-Green. They later moved to Bridgeport.

His son, Frank Portillo, Jr. started the large Chicagoland restaurant chain called Brown's Chicken & Pasta, and his father owned two of the franchises before retiring in 1970. There are now 46 stores in the Chicagoland area. His brother Richard started the Portillo Restaurant Group in 1963 which today has 33 Portillo's Hot Dogs, 10 Barnelli's and several other establishments. Both men are very successful.

"Both of his sons said that growing up poor helped to make them successful businessmen."

"I think the reason my brother and I got into [the restaurant business] was we grew up in the projects and we didn't want that kind of life,: Frank Portillo, Jr. said.

Mr. Portillo retired to Florida until the mid 90s when he returned to the Chicago area. His wife died seven years ago after 71 years of marriage.

Despite all the hard times, he never let it get him down, and according to son Richard, he had "the art of relaxation down pat." He spent many hours fishing and whittled family keepsakes.

I will write about his sons' businesses in the future.