Portillo’s is among the many many eating places capitalizing on the collection of the primary American-born pope. | Picture courtesy: Portillo’s.
The world on Thursday received its first American-born pope in Pope Leo XIV.
However earlier than ascending to the papacy and even turning into a cardinal, Robert Francis Prevost was a Chicago-born White Sox fan who grew up within the south suburb of Dolton, Illinois.
The information from the Vatican instantly unleashed a Biblical flood of Chicago-centric memes.
Oh, look, right here’s Chicago’s favourite love-to-hate-it shot, Jeppson’s Malort, introduced for communion.
There’s the brand new pope sporting a Chicago Bears sweater vest, saying “Daaaaaa prayers.”
There’s an image of Pope Leo with the caption, “God bless everybody on this planet, besides Inexperienced Bay.”
In fact, legendary Chicago sizzling canine stand The Wieners Circle up to date its large signal to say “CANES NOSTROS IPSE COMEDIT.” For these not fluent in Latin, that interprets to “He has eaten our canine.” That put up had acquired 24,000 likes and a couple of,400 reposts as of Friday afternoon on X, previously Twitter.
Translation:
He has eaten our canine#chicagopopeThe Wieners Circle on Twitter / X— The Wieners Circle (@thewienercircle) Might 8, 2025
Satire web site The Onion posted an image of the brand new pope, swaddled in a poppyseed bun with all the conventional toppings, with the headline, “Conclave Selects First Chicago-Type Pope.”
Rooster chain Popeyes was among the many first restaurant model to leap on the information, as quickly as white smoke began billowing from the Sistine Chapel’s chimney. The fast-food chain merely posted, “pope sure” on X Thursday afternoon. (Don’t get it? Learn it once more.) The tweet generated 45,000 reposts, hundreds of feedback and practically half one million likes.
pope sure
— Popeyes (@Popeyes) Might 8, 2025
Native indies received in on the motion, too.
On Fb, family-owned Italian restaurant Baccanalia, on town’s South Facet, crowed that Pope Leo dined on the institution “a few years in the past.”
Pizza joint Aurelio’s famous on social media that the longer term pope dined at its south-suburban Homewood, Illinois, location and posted an image of stacked pizza packing containers saying, “Eat what the pope eats.”
Palermo Bakery, the Italian bakery close to my dwelling on Chicago’s Northwest Facet, displayed cookies adorned with an image of the brand new pope and the phrases “Habeus Papam,” Latin for “We have now a pope” amid its Mom’s Day choices.
And there was meme after meme after meme of the brand new pontiff cradling, wielding or brandishing Chicago’s signature sandwich, the Italian beef.
Lower than 24 hours after the announcement, Portillo’s did what it needed to do.
Within the title of the gravy, the bun, and sizzling giard – we introduce The Leo: divinely seasoned Italian Beef, baptized in gravy.
order now: Portillo’s Take Out – Order On-line Portillo’s on Twitter / X
— Portillo’s (@portilloshotdog) Might 9, 2025
“Within the title of the gravy, the bun, and sizzling giard,” the quick informal posted on social media Friday. “We introduce The Leo: divinely seasoned Italian beef, baptized in gravy.”
The sandwich is “completed with the holy trinity of peppers—candy, sizzling or a combo,” Portillo’s famous.
“It’s our unique sacred sandwich, daring, unapologetically flavorful, and made in honor of a second that’s historic for Portillo’s hometown.”
The quick informal mentioned The Leo shall be accessible till the top of Might, which, in what is unquestionably an indication of divine windfall, occurs to be Italian Beef Month.
The genius of this transfer? The Leo is just not an LTO in any respect. It’s merely the chain’s on a regular basis Italian Beef, rebranded to fulfill the second.
Google “Leo Portillo’s” and also you’ll see headlines from Folks, the At the moment Present, Parade Journal, Males’s Journal, Salon.com and various different native and nationwide shops far and extensive.
Now that’s some divine advertising and marketing.
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