Latest news with #Portillos
The Independent
19-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
There's an American pope, and he's just like us. At least, we really, really want him to be
By the middle of last week, it became clear that something odd was happening. It was about the time that the fake video started circulating about the woman purporting to recount the 'situationship' she'd had with Robert Prevost, the new American pope, decades ago when he was just another guy from Chicago. We'd already seen Topps, the baseball-card company, issue a new card of Pope Leo XIV that was all over eBay. We'd heard about his affinity for the White Sox and seen a glimpse of him in the crowd at the 2005 World Series. And in the wake of online speculation over whether he favored the Chicago beef sandwich or Chicago-style hot dogs, we'd seen Portillo's, a local eatery, name a sandwich after him — ""a divinely seasoned Italian beef, baptized in gravy and finished with the holy trinity of peppers." Then there was the Instagram video featuring two guys outlining the ways the new pontiff was a product of his upbringing: 'The pope's a Midwesterner. Bread and wine is now cheese and beer," says one. Retorts the other: 'The pope's a Midwesterner. Collection baskets now accept Kohl's cash.' Popes: They're just like us? Not exactly. The former Bob Prevost is hardly just another guy from Chicago. But you wouldn't know that by the burst of American fanfare surrounding the newly minted Pope Leo XIV. He has been called out for his eating proclivities (Jimmy Fallon: 'deep-dish communion wafers?'), for his sports affiliations, for his lively sibling relationships and more. Fake videos of him weighing in on basketball and Donald Trump in classic Midwestern ways are proliferating. Why are we so focused on making sure the supreme leader of the Roman Catholic Church is also a regular guy from the Midwest? Some of it is pride, you betcha. But another answer lies in Americans' peculiar and complex relationship with fame and power that goes way back to the founding of the nation itself. American 'regular guy-ism' began with the nation itself When the United States became the United States in 1776, it rejected King George III, the crown's taxes and the ornate accoutrements and sensibilities that surrounded royalty. In its place grew democracy, effectively the cult of the regular guy. As the decades passed, the sensibility of 'effete' royalty from back east — whether 'back east' was England or, ultimately, Washington — became scorned. By the time Andrew Jackson's form of populism began to flourish in the 1830s, the 'regular guy' in the rising democratic republic became a revered trope. Thus the tales of Abraham Lincoln growing up in a log cabin and splitting rails just like the rest of us — or, at least, the 19th-century rural American 'rest of us.' 'Our culture is one that is based on the rejection of monarchy and class distinctions and yet is fascinated by monarchies and those who we see as set above and apart,' says David Gibson, director of the Center on Religion and Culture at Fordham University. "We want these figure to look up to but also to sit down with." And it has stayed that way, politically and culturally, right up until today. Think about how the ideal presidential candidate has evolved from the time of, say, Franklin D. Roosevelt, an effete Easterner who favored a long cigarette holder, to today. Ronald Reagan talked in the homespun language of hearth and home. Bill Clinton played a sax and answered the time-honored question of 'boxers or briefs.' George Bush, now a nondrinker, became 'a guy you'd want to have a beer with.' (Jon Stewart famously shot that down by saying: "I want my president to be the designated driver.') This down-to-Earth sensibility was evident in the press conference that American cardinals held after Leo was elevated. No intense church music accompanied their entrance; instead, it was 'American Pie' and Bruce Springsteen's 'Born in the USA' — foundational pillars of popular culture, with an emphasis on 'popular.' The message: This is not a 'back east' pope. 'Popes have always been alien — strangers," says John Baick, an American historian at Western New England University. "We like and trust that he is one of us. The Midwest is the place of hard work, the place of decency, the place of listening, the place of manners. This is the person you want to sit on the other side of that diner on a Sunday morning.' He places Leo's ascension as a bookend to John F. Kennedy's election in 1960 — a resounding signal, this time globally, that Catholicism is compatible with Americanism. But as for the 'he's one of us' approach, that says more about the people watching Leo than about the actual pope. 'He has done none of this himself," Baick says. "The connections are things that we have desperately created. We are so desperate for normalcy, for a regular guy.' This guy is far more than the pope next door And yet ... Americans famously adored Princess Diana, 'the people's princess.' People like the Kennedys and Grace Kelly — before she became an actual princess — were referred to as 'American royalty.' And even though we're a long way from the days of Bogie, Bacall and Greta Garbo — a generation into the 'Stars: They're Just Like Us' era — Americans still love to put people on pedestals and bring them back down, sometimes at the same time. The latest iteration of this is tied to reality TV, which took regular people and turned them into personalities, figures, commodities. 'This country is positioned as a place where anybody can succeed. It plays directly into that — the regular person who succeeds on a large scale,' says Danielle Lindemann, author of 'True Story: What Reality TV Says About Us.' 'We're kind of obsessed with this everyday Joe who is plucked from obscurity and becomes famous. In the United States, that's a salient and dominant narrative,' says Lindemann, a professor of sociology at Lehigh University in Pennsylvania. 'We almost feel like we have relationships with these people. We're getting so much personal information about him, and it facilitates that sense of closeness.' Prevost, of course, is not your average Midwesterner. His Spanish, among other tongues, is fluent. He spent two decades in Peru, where he also holds citizenship (and where, it must be said, there is footage of him singing 'Feliz Navidad' into a microphone at a Christmas party). And there's that small matter that he is now the head of a global church of 1.4 billion souls. So a new era begins for both the United States and the Catholic Church — an age-old hierarchy and a society that demands egalitarianism, or the appearance of it, from the people it looks up to. And at the intersection of those two principles sits Robert Prevost, Pope Leo XIV, an accomplished man in his own right but also an empty vessel into which broad swaths of humanity will pour their expectations — be they about eternity or simply the South Side of Chicago. 'Popes want to connect with people, and the church wants that as well. But the peril is that such familiarity breeds not so much contempt as disobedience,' Gibson says. 'The pope is not your friend. He is not going to sit down and have a beer with you,' he says. 'If you think the pope is your pal, will you feel betrayed when he reminds you of your religious and moral duties, and chides you for failing to follow them?' ___ Ted Anthony, director of new storytelling and newsroom innovation for The Associated Press, has been writing about American culture since 1990. ___ Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP's collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.
Associated Press
19-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Associated Press
There's an American pope, and he's just like us. At least, we really, really want him to be
WASHINGTON (AP) — By the middle of last week, it became clear that something odd was happening. It was about the time that the fake video started circulating about the woman purporting to recount the 'situationship' she'd had with Robert Prevost, the new American pope, decades ago when he was just another guy from Chicago. We'd already seen Topps, the baseball-card company, issue a new card of Pope Leo XIV that was all over eBay. We'd heard about his affinity for the White Sox and seen a glimpse of him in the crowd at the 2005 World Series. And in the wake of online speculation over whether he favored the Chicago beef sandwich or Chicago-style hot dogs, we'd seen Portillo's, a local eatery, name a sandwich after him — ""a divinely seasoned Italian beef, baptized in gravy and finished with the holy trinity of peppers.' Then there was the Instagram video featuring two guys outlining the ways the new pontiff was a product of his upbringing: 'The pope's a Midwesterner. Bread and wine is now cheese and beer,' says one. Retorts the other: 'The pope's a Midwesterner. Collection baskets now accept Kohl's cash.' Popes: They're just like us? Not exactly. The former Bob Prevost is hardly just another guy from Chicago. But you wouldn't know that by the burst of American fanfare surrounding the newly minted Pope Leo XIV. He has been called out for his eating proclivities (Jimmy Fallon: 'deep-dish communion wafers?'), for his sports affiliations, for his lively sibling relationships and more. Fake videos of him weighing in on basketball and Donald Trump in classic Midwestern ways are proliferating. Why are we so focused on making sure the supreme leader of the Roman Catholic Church is also a regular guy from the Midwest? Some of it is pride, you betcha. But another answer lies in Americans' peculiar and complex relationship with fame and power that goes way back to the founding of the nation itself. American 'regular guy-ism' began with the nation itselfWhen the United States became the United States in 1776, it rejected King George III, the crown's taxes and the ornate accoutrements and sensibilities that surrounded royalty. In its place grew democracy, effectively the cult of the regular guy. As the decades passed, the sensibility of 'effete' royalty from back east — whether 'back east' was England or, ultimately, Washington — became scorned. By the time Andrew Jackson's form of populism began to flourish in the 1830s, the 'regular guy' in the rising democratic republic became a revered trope. Thus the tales of Abraham Lincoln growing up in a log cabin and splitting rails just like the rest of us — or, at least, the 19th-century rural American 'rest of us.' 'Our culture is one that is based on the rejection of monarchy and class distinctions and yet is fascinated by monarchies and those who we see as set above and apart,' says David Gibson, director of the Center on Religion and Culture at Fordham University. 'We want these figure to look up to but also to sit down with.' And it has stayed that way, politically and culturally, right up until today. Think about how the ideal presidential candidate has evolved from the time of, say, Franklin D. Roosevelt, an effete Easterner who favored a long cigarette holder, to today. Ronald Reagan talked in the homespun language of hearth and home. Bill Clinton played a sax and answered the time-honored question of 'boxers or briefs.' George Bush, now a nondrinker, became 'a guy you'd want to have a beer with.' (Jon Stewart famously shot that down by saying: 'I want my president to be the designated driver.') This down-to-Earth sensibility was evident in the press conference that American cardinals held after Leo was elevated. No intense church music accompanied their entrance; instead, it was 'American Pie' and Bruce Springsteen's 'Born in the USA' — foundational pillars of popular culture, with an emphasis on 'popular.' The message: This is not a 'back east' pope. 'Popes have always been alien — strangers,' says John Baick, an American historian at Western New England University. 'We like and trust that he is one of us. The Midwest is the place of hard work, the place of decency, the place of listening, the place of manners. This is the person you want to sit on the other side of that diner on a Sunday morning.' He places Leo's ascension as a bookend to John F. Kennedy's election in 1960 — a resounding signal, this time globally, that Catholicism is compatible with Americanism. But as for the 'he's one of us' approach, that says more about the people watching Leo than about the actual pope. 'He has done none of this himself,' Baick says. 'The connections are things that we have desperately created. We are so desperate for normalcy, for a regular guy.' This guy is far more than the pope next door And yet ... Americans famously adored Princess Diana, 'the people's princess.' People like the Kennedys and Grace Kelly — before she became an actual princess — were referred to as 'American royalty.' And even though we're a long way from the days of Bogie, Bacall and Greta Garbo — a generation into the 'Stars: They're Just Like Us' era — Americans still love to put people on pedestals and bring them back down, sometimes at the same time. The latest iteration of this is tied to reality TV, which took regular people and turned them into personalities, figures, commodities. 'This country is positioned as a place where anybody can succeed. It plays directly into that — the regular person who succeeds on a large scale,' says Danielle Lindemann, author of 'True Story: What Reality TV Says About Us.' 'We're kind of obsessed with this everyday Joe who is plucked from obscurity and becomes famous. In the United States, that's a salient and dominant narrative,' says Lindemann, a professor of sociology at Lehigh University in Pennsylvania. 'We almost feel like we have relationships with these people. We're getting so much personal information about him, and it facilitates that sense of closeness.' Prevost, of course, is not your average Midwesterner. His Spanish, among other tongues, is fluent. He spent two decades in Peru, where he also holds citizenship (and where, it must be said, there is footage of him singing 'Feliz Navidad' into a microphone at a Christmas party). And there's that small matter that he is now the head of a global church of 1.4 billion souls. So a new era begins for both the United States and the Catholic Church — an age-old hierarchy and a society that demands egalitarianism, or the appearance of it, from the people it looks up to. And at the intersection of those two principles sits Robert Prevost, Pope Leo XIV, an accomplished man in his own right but also an empty vessel into which broad swaths of humanity will pour their expectations — be they about eternity or simply the South Side of Chicago. 'Popes want to connect with people, and the church wants that as well. But the peril is that such familiarity breeds not so much contempt as disobedience,' Gibson says. 'The pope is not your friend. He is not going to sit down and have a beer with you,' he says. 'If you think the pope is your pal, will you feel betrayed when he reminds you of your religious and moral duties, and chides you for failing to follow them?' ___ Ted Anthony, director of new storytelling and newsroom innovation for The Associated Press, has been writing about American culture since 1990. ___ Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP's collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.
CBS News
16-05-2025
- Entertainment
- CBS News
Pope Leo XIV's official portrait has been released
The first official portrait of Pope Leo XIV was released on Friday. Vatican News shared the portrait on Facebook, and in just three hours, the post was shared over 4,700 thousand times and liked 1,200 times. Vatican News Leo, the first American pope who is from Chicago, was elected the 267th pontiff earlier in May on the fourth ballot of the conclave. To an estimated crowd of 150,000, the new pope spoke in Italian, Latin and Spanish, vowing to build bridges. On Friday, he returned to the Sistine Chapel. There, the first native-English-speaking pope since Adrian IV of England in the 12th century said, "I know I can rely on each and every one of you to walk with me." At his first Mass on Sunday, the pope called for peace in ongoing conflicts, and wished Happy Mother's Day. Among the questions flying about the first Chicago-born pope was obviously where his hometown baseball allegiance lies. The pope's brother set the record straight, saying the new pontiff is a longtime White Sox fan. The White Sox embraced Pope Leo XIV as their own with a custom "Pope Leo 14" jersey, and a scoreboard message for the pontiff before Friday night's game against the Miami Marlins. Other Chicago brands got on board. Portillo's shared the "The Leo," a special Italian Beef sandwich, as its papal offering.
Globe and Mail
12-05-2025
- Business
- Globe and Mail
This Undervalued Restaurant Stock Is Up About 10% Since a Member of the Audience Mistakenly Asked About It at Berkshire Hathaway's Annual Meeting
Every year, investors from around the world gather in Omaha for a chance to talk to legendary investor Warren Buffett at the annual meeting for Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE: BRK.A)(NYSE: BRK.B) shareholders. The 2025 gathering reportedly had 20,000 people in attendance, and many waited for hours for their chance to ask a question of the Oracle of Omaha. One such member of the audience finally got his chance. He stepped up to the microphone and said, "Out of all the companies that Berkshire Hathaway owns, there was one that you acquired, the Chicago-based company Portillo's (NASDAQ: PTLO) -- hot dogs -- how did you know that this would be a good fit for the overall company's portfolio?" Where to invest $1,000 right now? Our analyst team just revealed what they believe are the 10 best stocks to buy right now. Continue » Buffett was gracious but visibly confused by the question. And that's because Berkshire Hathaway didn't acquire Portillo's and has never invested in the stock -- it's not among the things that Berkshire Hathaway owns. This appears to be a case of mistaken identity. In 2014, private equity firm Berkshire Partners -- not affiliated with Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway -- invested in Portillo's when it was still a privately held business. As of Dec. 29, Berkshire Partners was still the largest shareholder in Portillo's with a nearly 19% stake. But before the company's initial public offering (IPO) Berkshire Partners owned more than 60% of the outstanding shares, meaning its stake has decreased significantly. And, again, Berkshire Partners isn't Berkshire Hathaway. That said, something strange happened immediately after the annual meeting for Berkshire Hathaway. Portillo's stock climbed about 10% over the next few trading sessions. Maybe it was just a coincidence. Or maybe, just maybe, people at Berkshire Hathaway's meeting decided to look into Portillo's and liked what they saw. I'm only speculating, but I don't think this is as far-fetched as it sounds. In fact, I believe Portillo's stock offers at least one thing that Warren Buffett would appreciate: This restaurant stock is an incredible value stock right now. Why Portillo's stock is a good value "I think all good investing is value investing." -- longtime Buffett colleague Charlie Munger. If investors can find a profitable business with years of growth opportunity that trades at a bargain price, they may have just found a winner. And that's what I believe Portillo's stock can be for investors over the next 10 years. As of this writing, Portillo's stock has a market capitalization of $721 million -- this is the aggregate value of its shares. In other words, it would hypothetically cost someone this much to own the company outright. Let's suppose someone did that. How long would it be before their investment was paid back? Consider that Portillo's had 94 restaurant locations at the end of the first quarter of 2025. These restaurants have generated $58 million in operating income over the last 12 months. Assuming the company continued to earn this much profit every year, then a hypothetical investor would make back their investment in 12 years -- in other words, it trades at 12 times its operating income. This isn't bad and suggests that Portillo's stock is a value stock. That said, if Portillo's can grow its operating income, then it would be an even better value today. And I believe that it can grow its operating income in dramatic fashion. This starts with Portillo's restaurant development plans. As mentioned, it has fewer than 100 locations today, but locations average $8.7 million in annual sales, which is outstanding and suggests strong consumer demand wherever it's located. For this reason, management plans to expand to meet that demand, targeting 12 new restaurant openings this year. Annually, Portillo's plans to grow its restaurant base by 12% to 15%. This means its could potentially triple or quadruple in size over the next decade. Assuming the economics of the business hold strong, this is a company with the ability to grow its profits substantially. Portillo's isn't as flashy of an investment idea as some other busineses. But restaurants with strong economics have made great investments in the past as they've grown from regional chains to national ones. Portillo's could be the latest. And buying it at a bargain price today certainly helps when it comes to future returns. Some people might be finding out about Portillo's stock today because of a mistaken question at Berkshire Hathaway's meeting. But I find that sometimes the best investment ideas are ones that are stumbled upon seemingly by chance. The trick is to not waste good chances when they come along. Should you invest $1,000 in Portillo's right now? Before you buy stock in Portillo's, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now… and Portillo's wasn't one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $614,911!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $714,958!* Now, it's worth noting Stock Advisor 's total average return is907% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to163%for the S&P 500. Don't miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join Stock Advisor. See the 10 stocks » *Stock Advisor returns as of May 5, 2025
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
This Undervalued Restaurant Stock Is Up About 10% Since a Member of the Audience Mistakenly Asked About It at Berkshire Hathaway's Annual Meeting
Berkshire Hathaway doesn't own this Chicago-based restaurant company, but it might check some important boxes for value investors. This stock is already cheap and has a path to significantly growing its profits long term. 10 stocks we like better than Portillo's › Every year, investors from around the world gather in Omaha for a chance to talk to legendary investor Warren Buffett at the annual meeting for Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE: BRK.A)(NYSE: BRK.B) shareholders. The 2025 gathering reportedly had 20,000 people in attendance, and many waited for hours for their chance to ask a question of the Oracle of Omaha. One such member of the audience finally got his chance. He stepped up to the microphone and said, "Out of all the companies that Berkshire Hathaway owns, there was one that you acquired, the Chicago-based company Portillo's (NASDAQ: PTLO) -- hot dogs -- how did you know that this would be a good fit for the overall company's portfolio?" Buffett was gracious but visibly confused by the question. And that's because Berkshire Hathaway didn't acquire Portillo's and has never invested in the stock -- it's not among the things that Berkshire Hathaway owns. This appears to be a case of mistaken identity. In 2014, private equity firm Berkshire Partners -- not affiliated with Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway -- invested in Portillo's when it was still a privately held business. As of Dec. 29, Berkshire Partners was still the largest shareholder in Portillo's with a nearly 19% stake. But before the company's initial public offering (IPO) Berkshire Partners owned more than 60% of the outstanding shares, meaning its stake has decreased significantly. And, again, Berkshire Partners isn't Berkshire Hathaway. That said, something strange happened immediately after the annual meeting for Berkshire Hathaway. Portillo's stock climbed about 10% over the next few trading sessions. Maybe it was just a coincidence. Or maybe, just maybe, people at Berkshire Hathaway's meeting decided to look into Portillo's and liked what they saw. I'm only speculating, but I don't think this is as far-fetched as it sounds. In fact, I believe Portillo's stock offers at least one thing that Warren Buffett would appreciate: This restaurant stock is an incredible value stock right now. "I think all good investing is value investing." -- longtime Buffett colleague Charlie Munger. If investors can find a profitable business with years of growth opportunity that trades at a bargain price, they may have just found a winner. And that's what I believe Portillo's stock can be for investors over the next 10 years. As of this writing, Portillo's stock has a market capitalization of $721 million -- this is the aggregate value of its shares. In other words, it would hypothetically cost someone this much to own the company outright. Let's suppose someone did that. How long would it be before their investment was paid back? Consider that Portillo's had 94 restaurant locations at the end of the first quarter of 2025. These restaurants have generated $58 million in operating income over the last 12 months. Assuming the company continued to earn this much profit every year, then a hypothetical investor would make back their investment in 12 years -- in other words, it trades at 12 times its operating income. This isn't bad and suggests that Portillo's stock is a value stock. That said, if Portillo's can grow its operating income, then it would be an even better value today. And I believe that it can grow its operating income in dramatic fashion. This starts with Portillo's restaurant development plans. As mentioned, it has fewer than 100 locations today, but locations average $8.7 million in annual sales, which is outstanding and suggests strong consumer demand wherever it's located. For this reason, management plans to expand to meet that demand, targeting 12 new restaurant openings this year. Annually, Portillo's plans to grow its restaurant base by 12% to 15%. This means its could potentially triple or quadruple in size over the next decade. Assuming the economics of the business hold strong, this is a company with the ability to grow its profits substantially. Portillo's isn't as flashy of an investment idea as some other busineses. But restaurants with strong economics have made great investments in the past as they've grown from regional chains to national ones. Portillo's could be the latest. And buying it at a bargain price today certainly helps when it comes to future returns. Some people might be finding out about Portillo's stock today because of a mistaken question at Berkshire Hathaway's meeting. But I find that sometimes the best investment ideas are ones that are stumbled upon seemingly by chance. The trick is to not waste good chances when they come along. Before you buy stock in Portillo's, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the for investors to buy now… and Portillo's wasn't one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $614,911!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $714,958!* Now, it's worth noting Stock Advisor's total average return is 907% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 163% for the S&P 500. Don't miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join . See the 10 stocks » *Stock Advisor returns as of May 5, 2025 Jon Quast has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Berkshire Hathaway. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This Undervalued Restaurant Stock Is Up About 10% Since a Member of the Audience Mistakenly Asked About It at Berkshire Hathaway's Annual Meeting was originally published by The Motley Fool Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
