Local fans of a popular Chicagoland restaurant chain are giddy with excitement, after the city of Davenport announced Wednesday a potential future location in the Quad Cities.
"Wouldn't a shake with cake be the perfect afternoon treat?"
Those words, captioning a photo of a milkshake, set off a social media firestorm when the City of Davenport posted them to its Facebook page Tuesday.
No restaurant name could be seen on the milkshake cup, but some discerning fans of Portillo's recognized the design as belonging to the popular restaurant chain in the suburbs of Chicago.
Portillo's is known for its Chicago dogs, Italian beef, Polish sausage, and chocolate cake shakes.
The post raised speculation that Portillo's could soon expand to the Quad Cities.
The city announced Wednesday that a developer for Portillo's submitted a rezoning request this month for six acres just west of 53rd Street and Elmore Avenue. That land is currently zoned for residential use, and in fact several houses are located there.
The city will hold a neighborhood meeting Thursday for residents to discuss the rezoning request. A larger public hearing with the Planning and Zoning Commission is scheduled for next Tuesday.
Public support for a Quad Cities Portillo's is high: a Facebook page called "Bring Portillo's to the Quad Cities" has generated more than 15,000 likes.
The CEO of Portillo's is from Moline, further raising hopes among fans that the chain will come to the Quad Cities.