Portillo’s drive-thrus to go cashless

With the start of a new year, change is coming to Portillo’s.

As of Jan. 16, drive-thrus at all Portillo’s locations will be cashless. Customers in cars can only pay with debit or credit cards.

The change is intended to make drive-thru service more efficient, according to Portillo’s representatives. The company didn’t say how much quicker it expects the drive-thru lanes will be.

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The national average wait time at a drive-thru in 2022 was about 106 seconds, according to the 22nd annual Drive Thru Study. Ordering and receiving food took the average drive-thru customer about 4 ¹⁄₂ minutes.

Portillo’s restaurants will still accept cash inside.

“This creates a faster, smoother service for our guests and is safer for our team members,” according to a statement fro Portillo’s. “We will only accept cash inside our restaurants. We’d be happy to accept credit or debit cards outside or serve cash guests inside.”

The first Portillo’s with a drive-thru opened in 1983 in Downers Grove, 20 years after the restaurant was founded. The hot dog house has more than 70 locations and went public on the stock market in 2021.