Chicagoans' most popular place to eat around the city may come as no surprise.
Though Chicago is known for its diverse culinary scene, an area favorite chain topped a new list: Portillo's Hot Dogs.
Bid-On -Equipment ranked the top restaurants in major cities across the U.S., and found that people in Chicago visited Portillo's more often than any other place to grab a bite.
Started as a hot dog stand in suburban Villa Park in 1963, the Chicago-based chain is known for their hot dogs, Italian beef, chopped salad, French fries and chocolate cake shakes.
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In 2005, Portillo's expanded outside Illinois for the first time, opening a location in Buena Park, California, then Moreno Valley, California. In subsequent years, the chain opened spots in Indiana, Arizona, Florida and Wisconsin, though shipping is available nationwide.
Here are some other top restaurants in cities nearby:
- Detroit, Michigan: Buddy's Pizza
- St. Louis, Missouri: Broadway Oyster Bar
- Cincinnati, Ohio: The Eagle
According to the list, the most popular cuisine across the nation was breakfast foods. Among other preferences, 50% of Americans are getting take out and going out to eat less due to inflation.
Local
The list found that 40% of people said at least one of their favorite restaurants have permanently closed during the pandemic.
In terms of dining options, 77% prefer to eat at local restaurants, while 40% would rather eat at chain restaurants.
Here's how most people found a restaurant at which to eat:
- 76% on Google
- 64% by word of mouth recommendations
- 39% on Yelp
- 30% on social media
Where do most Americans get dinner? The list found that 77% eat at home or cook for themselves, while 50 get take out or pick up and 31% go to a restaurant. Only 3% reported using a meal subscription box.
Bid-On-Equipment looked at the top 20 highest rated and top 20 most reviewed restaurants on Yelp for each city. The company compiled a list of 40 restaurants per city, then used Google data to study which spots were most searched between January 2022 and March 2022.
The company also surveyed 1,008 Americans about restaurant preferences within an age range of 18-84 years old. According to their methodology, 49% were female, 49% were male and 2% were transgender or non-binary.
