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On The Road By 3:30 a.m. For Another Portillo's Opening

Baylee Steelman
/
WGLT
Peter Robinson, right, with Dick Portillo on Tuesday, Aug. 15, 2017, on opening day of the new Portillo's in Normal.

You may like Portillo’s. But Peter Robinson loves Portillo’s.

He left his home in Waterman (near DeKalb) at 3:30 a.m. to be one of the first in line for Tuesday’s much-anticipated opening of the new Portillo’s in Normal. That’s a 90-minute drive, then another 5-hour wait, before the 10:30 a.m. opening. (By 9 a.m. there were around 12 people already in line in Normal, including Robinson.)

Robinson goes to every Portillo’s opening. The only one he missed was in Greenfield, Wisconsin, because he was having heart surgery.

“This one’s easy,” Robinson said. “A month ago, I flew to Minnesota for (an opening).”

Robinson has been hooked on Portillo’s since 1964, when he met Dick Portillo at the original hot dog stand in Villa Park. Robinson was 2 cents short of the $1.02 order, and Dick cut him a break.

Robinson eats at Portillo’s locations two or three times a week, including every Sunday night with his wife.

“This is just a hobby,” Robinson said.

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Baylee Steelman joined us in November 2016. She is a journalism major graduating in May 2018. She mainly covers Bloomington City and Normal Town Council meetings, Unit 5 School Board meetings, produces the weekend News In Review, and helps run GLT events. Baylee also produces and anchors at TV-10, Illinois State University's student TV news station.
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