Portillo's vs. Hot Doug's
This is NOT a review of the differences in quality between the two Chicago-based joints. One is a hugely successful, multi-unit juggernaut with spin-off businesses, while the other has only one location (albeit with a line out the door almost every time I've driven by it). This story is about one company making things easy to give them some $ and make a client happy, and the other being a frustrating pain to do the same thing. Here we go:
Jim Smith is the main owner of the Liberty Theatre in Ft. Scott, KS, and hails from the Chicago area; he always speaks in sentimental tones about his early days here. He's also let it be known he's had his pilot fly him in his private jet to Chicago once, just to get a fix of Portillo's hot dogs. Did I mention he's a great client to have?
Knowing this story, I stopped by Hot Doug's before our trip to Ft. Scott for our New Year's Eve show, hoping to get a few goodies to take with - no cigar. The place was closed for several days around the holidays, dead end.
Fast forward... sure enough, the minute I see Jim in Kansas, the first thing out of his mouth: "Did you bring me any hot dogs?" Damn again.
Riding the wave of a great New Year's Eve party, I wanted to send Jim some dogs from Chicago; my first choice was Hot Doug's, as it's more of a non-touristy, insider's choice than Portillo's. And his duck-fat french fries (Fridays only) are supposed to be truly killer.
So I spoke with Doug (Sahm?) at Hot Doug's, who've I'd met before while eating there; although I did my best to coerce him into sending something to Kansas, he explained to me his extreme disinterest in attempting it (said he'd tried it once), expressed how he wasn't even licensed for sending food, etc. Obviously, if Portillo's can figure it out, so can he; While I have no problem with someone being set in their business ways, I do have a problem with those who make it hard for me to promote their business AND give them some money. Nuff said. And so, I moved on to the Portillo's website, where the experience was the complete opposite. Real sharp website, easy to navigate & find what I was looking for; For just under $50, they offered to ship the following via UPS in 2 days, which I did:
Hotdogs - 10 pack 10 of Portillo?s beef hot dogs shipped to you or a friend, with all the fixings. Everything you need to create an authentic Portillo's style hot dog with everything is included, 10 hot dogs in a cryovac pouch, 10 poppy seed buns, mustard, relish, 1 fresh onion, 2 red ripe tomatoes, 2 whole kosher pickles, sport peppers & Portillo?s hot dog seasoning. All products are safely packaged to preserve quality and freshness, and then shipped via UPS. Prices include standard 2 day shipping. Additional fees for Standard Overnight and Priority Overnight Shipping
I'll give Mr. Smith a call this week, make sure he got the package, see what he thought about the quality, etc.
Jim Smith is the main owner of the Liberty Theatre in Ft. Scott, KS, and hails from the Chicago area; he always speaks in sentimental tones about his early days here. He's also let it be known he's had his pilot fly him in his private jet to Chicago once, just to get a fix of Portillo's hot dogs. Did I mention he's a great client to have?Knowing this story, I stopped by Hot Doug's before our trip to Ft. Scott for our New Year's Eve show, hoping to get a few goodies to take with - no cigar. The place was closed for several days around the holidays, dead end.
Fast forward... sure enough, the minute I see Jim in Kansas, the first thing out of his mouth: "Did you bring me any hot dogs?" Damn again.
Riding the wave of a great New Year's Eve party, I wanted to send Jim some dogs from Chicago; my first choice was Hot Doug's, as it's more of a non-touristy, insider's choice than Portillo's. And his duck-fat french fries (Fridays only) are supposed to be truly killer.
So I spoke with Doug (Sahm?) at Hot Doug's, who've I'd met before while eating there; although I did my best to coerce him into sending something to Kansas, he explained to me his extreme disinterest in attempting it (said he'd tried it once), expressed how he wasn't even licensed for sending food, etc. Obviously, if Portillo's can figure it out, so can he; While I have no problem with someone being set in their business ways, I do have a problem with those who make it hard for me to promote their business AND give them some money. Nuff said. And so, I moved on to the Portillo's website, where the experience was the complete opposite. Real sharp website, easy to navigate & find what I was looking for; For just under $50, they offered to ship the following via UPS in 2 days, which I did:
Hotdogs - 10 pack 10 of Portillo?s beef hot dogs shipped to you or a friend, with all the fixings. Everything you need to create an authentic Portillo's style hot dog with everything is included, 10 hot dogs in a cryovac pouch, 10 poppy seed buns, mustard, relish, 1 fresh onion, 2 red ripe tomatoes, 2 whole kosher pickles, sport peppers & Portillo?s hot dog seasoning. All products are safely packaged to preserve quality and freshness, and then shipped via UPS. Prices include standard 2 day shipping. Additional fees for Standard Overnight and Priority Overnight Shipping
I'll give Mr. Smith a call this week, make sure he got the package, see what he thought about the quality, etc.
Labels: chicago hot dogs, hot dougs, portillos, shipping food
People should read this.
Posted by
Anonymous |
5:02 PM