How long have you been with Portillo’s and what made you come to work for us?
I’ve worked for Portillo’s for 6 years. The deciding factor to work here was the chance to work with a growing brand. Sitting with Roman during the interview and watching the number of guests fill Oaklawn’s dining area showed the amount of people I would be able to impact with a great dining experience as well as familial atmosphere.
What do you love about Portillo’s?
The Beef sandwich! I remember being young and my grandfather treating his family to Portillo’s. He took pride in bringing the family to eat here for good food. His favorite was Portillo’s beef hotdog with a small vanilla shake.
What was your first position here and what position did you get promoted to?
My first position was manager for the Canal and Taylor location. From there I was promoted to AGM of Homewood. Currently I’m the GM of Oaklawn Portillo’s with one of the hardest working teams from past companies.
What do you love about your position?
Getting the chance to work with new TMs from all parts of the world and seeing them to AGM’s and GM’s, becoming the new leaders of Portillo’s. Being able to see people that I trained blossom into great GM’s and AGM’s lets me know I did an efficient job of training them and I trust that they can lead a team in the same fashion that was portrayed to them.
What advice would you give to someone at Portillo’s looking to move up?
Be determined and hungry. Work though the team. Ensure that you establish a good relationship with your crew members. Make sure you know everyone’s strengths and weaknesses so you can assess your lineup daily and make sure everyone is working efficiently.
Where do see yourself growing in this company?
Dream job, People’s Team. I want to make sure that all team members that are hired in the company have an opportunity to grow and move up in the company. Training new leaders to be a productive part of their environment has always motivated me because I want everyone to come into work and automatically know the expectations of their position and go above and beyond with customer service and people skills. Training new leaders to becoming a positive addition to their environment to create a sense of community to the Portillo’s brand. We are a family here and I want to train others how to adapt to the family so that they can bring up the next set of leaders in the proper way.