Portillo's is no longer part of a planned redevelopment on Gratiot Avenue in Roseville, city officials confirmed, pulling the Chicago-style hot dog and Italian beef chain out of a project that once promised it as a marquee tenant. Construction continues on two commercial buildings at the former Days Inn property just north of 13 Mile Road, but one of those buildings, meant for a restaurant, now has no announced occupant.
City Manager Confirms the Change
“Is no longer part of the development deal,” Roseville City Manager Ryan Monroe said, confirming Portillo's withdrawal, according to Macomb Daily. Bingham Farms-based Alrig USA, the developer behind the project, continues building a restaurant structure on the site but has not named a replacement tenant, the outlet reported.
The 4-acre development was originally pitched as a three-tenant project bringing Portillo's, a Raising Cane's drive-through and an El Car Wash to the Gratiot corridor, a plan first detailed in 2025. Of those three, only the car wash and the chicken-fingers chain remain confirmed for the site, per the same report.
What's Still Coming to the Site
Raising Cane's is still expected to open there in 2027, marking the chain's first location in Macomb County, the station notes. Portillo's, known for its Italian beef, Chicago-style hot dogs, burgers, salads and chocolate cake, has not been replaced with a new announced tenant for the restaurant building under construction.
Alrig's plans for the property had earlier called for just over $10 million in investment, according to C & G Newspapers. That report also detailed the original three-building layout for the former Days Inn and Gratiot Huddle site at 31327 Gratiot Ave.
Brownfield Funding Still in Play
The redevelopment is tied to a brownfield plan designed to reimburse Alrig for demolition costs using future tax revenue, a tool local officials have used to encourage redevelopment of contaminated or blighted properties through incentives and cost reimbursements. The Roseville City Council voted unanimously to support the brownfield plan, a separate action from approval of the actual development, Macomb Daily reported at the time, with the plan expected to advance to the county brownfield authority and then the county Board of Commissioners.
Reports differ on exactly how long the tax-increment collection period will run. Macomb Daily has reported that the roughly $700,000 in anticipated demolition reimbursement would be funded through tax revenue collected from 2027 through 2031, while C & G Newspapers reported the plan would capture just under $700,000 between 2027 and 2032. Demolition on the property was confirmed underway by Monroe earlier this year, according to C & G Newspapers' report on the project's progress.
A Broader Pullback for Portillo's
The Roseville exit comes as Portillo's has announced plans to close a mid-to-high single-digit number of underperforming restaurants outside the Chicago area, with most closures expected in the fourth quarter of 2026, according to Shaw Local. The chain has not said which locations are closing or where they are, the outlet reported, leaving no direct link confirmed between that broader pullback and its change of plans in Roseville.
Alrig's managing director previously noted that several subscription car washes were already operating in the same area where the company planned to add its own, the Macomb Daily report from late 2025 noted. For now, the Gratiot Avenue site presses ahead with two buildings under construction, one destined for Raising Cane's chicken fingers and the other still waiting on a name.
