Here is a question that has destroyed a lot of restaurant companies.
Can you take a food that a city is emotional about, and sell it to people who have never eaten it?
The graveyard is full of chains that tried. Regional favorites that were beloved at home and completely ignored three states away. Cheesesteaks. Barbecue. Lobster rolls. Pizza styles that start arguments.
Every one of them looked like an obvious expansion opportunity. Most of them were not.
So a Chicago hot dog chain, built on a food that comes with rules and a famous prohibition against ketchup, deciding to open restaurants in the Sun Belt is either brave or foolish.
Gif by portilloshotdogs on Giphy
It is working. And the reason it is working has almost nothing to do with hot dogs.
Come on. This one is more interesting than it sounds.