How to Get $1 Hot Dogs at a Staple Chicago Chain

You know the ingredients. A plump, juicy hot dog topped with yellow mustard, white onions, sweet pickle relish, a tomato wedge, a large dill pickle spear, pickled sport peppers (my personal favorite), and a touch of celery salt, all spilling out of a poppy seed bun. That, my friends, is a Chicago-style hot dog. Drag it through the garden and enjoy.

If you're not going to get demeaned at the Wieners Circle, or another local hole-in-the-wall nook in Chicago, you can get a terrific Chicago-style hot dog at Portillo's. The ol' reliable chain is celebrating the start of the MLB season by offering $1 hot dogs for five days (March 25th - March 29th), and the process to obtain one is specific yet worth it.

READ MORE: Portillo's Ends Breakfast Pilot Program

How to Indulge in Dollar Dogs from Portillo's:

From March 25th - March 29th, you can get a $1 hot dog (garden, regular, jumbo chili, cheese, or jumbo) at Portillo's. Here's the process:

• Be a Portillo's Perks member (it's free and run through their mobile app)
• Spend a minimum of $5 at any Portillo's restaurant (excludes gift cards and merch)

Being that a hot dog is made better by a large order of fries or a soda, it's not a tough ask to spend an extra $5 at Portillo's. Truth be told, with the dollar hot dog, a fry, and a drink, that combo is cheaper than most offered by major fast food chains in this economy. You can inquire about and sign up for Portillo's Perks here.

READ MORE: Will Dubuque Ever Get a Portillo's of Their Own?

Where Can You Find Portillo's?:

While Portillo's has a plethora of locations in/around Chicago, they have steadily expanded to outlying states, such as Indiana, Wisconsin, and Arizona. But as of this writing, there is only one location in Iowa: Davenport.

Growing up, there were four or five Portillo's within 15 minutes of my house. It was a place my mother and I frequented at least once a month. When I was at college, there was one within minutes of my campus. I ate there after final exams as a reward for my exhaustive weeks of studying.

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Apropos of nothing, but worth mentioning while I'm on one of my favorite food-related subjects, I've always marveled at how no two Portillo's restaurants look the same. In a world where fast food/fast casual eateries are homogenizing their aesthetic appearances (look around: Burger King, McDonald's, and Wendy's all have similar outward and inward appearances), Portillo's stands out as daring their franchisees to be different. Some have décor resembling the Prohibition-era. Some look like retro diners. Others look like a hodgepodge of different time periods, but the food, service, and hospitality remains consistent.

Read more about Portillo's ongoing $1 hot dog promotion on Secret Chicago's website.