After a year of near silence at a high‑profile pad off I‑35, construction crews are finally back at work at Schertz Station, nudging Portillo’s a visible step closer to opening near San Antonio. The Chicago favorite has been teased and delayed since 2024, and the renewed activity is giving fresh hope to locals who have spent months wondering if the project had stalled out. Still, the company has yet to lock in a grand‑opening date, so fans of Italian beef and chocolate cake shakes are going to have to hang on a little longer.
Crews Are Back On Site, But No Firm Date Yet
Photographs and on‑the‑ground reporting show workers active at the Portillo’s pad in Schertz Station yesterday, as reported by MySA. The outlet cites a Portillo’s spokesperson who said, “We don’t have any firm updates on timing, but we believe it will be sometime this summer,” while stressing that the timeline is still tentative. Just seeing hard hats and heavy equipment on site appears to have quieted months of online speculation in local Facebook groups and Reddit threads that wondered if the project had gone cold.
Portillo’s Confirms Plans And Features
Portillo’s has created a dedicated Schertz page listing the new spot at IH‑35 and Cibolo Valley Drive and describing a roughly 6,250‑square‑foot “Restaurant of the Future” outfitted with double drive‑thru lanes, pickup shelves, and both indoor and outdoor seating, according to Portillo's. The company is inviting locals to sign up there for sneak‑peek events and says it will post hiring opportunities as opening day approaches. Those elements match the chain’s newer, smaller‑format designs that lean heavily on off‑premises pickup and speed to move long lines quickly.
Part Of A Larger Schertz Station Buildout
The Portillo’s pad is one piece of Schertz Station, a 72‑acre mixed‑use development along the I‑35 corridor that lists national tenants such as Dave’s Hot Chicken and CAVA, according to the project overview from Merit CRE. Developers pitch the site as a high‑traffic retail hub aimed at catching shoppers and commuters between San Antonio and New Braunfels. For Schertz, landing a brand with Portillo’s name recognition is being treated as a marquee win for the rapidly growing stretch of highway.
The Timeline That Frustrated Locals
State filings flagged to local reporters had originally pegged construction to start in April 2025 with completion in September 2025, a schedule that ultimately did not match what unfolded on the ground, as reported by MySA. That gap between the paperwork timeline and months of visible inactivity helped fuel the social‑media chatter. The latest burst of progress is easing some of that frustration, although the company’s expectation of opening “sometime this summer” is still only a projection until Portillo’s posts hard dates.
How To Stay On The List
Portillo’s is steering fans to sign up for local updates and sneak‑peek events through its Schertz page and to keep an eye on the brand’s careers portal for job postings, per Portillo's. Getting on that list is the most direct route to an invite for preview nights and to hearing the official opening date the moment it drops. Until then, residents will be watching the construction site, refresh‑checking email, and scanning local listings for the first official glimpse of a Portillo’s menu in the greater Alamo City area.
Portillo’s Texas expansion has become a major piece of the company’s broader growth strategy, with multiple new locations on the drawing board statewide, according to reporting by the Express-News. If the Schertz project keeps up its renewed pace, the San Antonio area could finally get its long‑awaited slice of Chicago comfort food later this year.
