As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on October 20, 2021

Registration No. 333-259810

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

FORM S–8

REGISTRATION STATEMENT

UNDER

THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

Portillo’s Inc.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Portillo’s Inc. 2021 Equity Incentive Plan

Portillo’s Inc. 2014 Equity Incentive Plan

(Full Title of Plans)

Susan B. Shelton, Esq.

General Counsel and Secretary

2001 Spring Road, Suite 400

Oak Brook, IL 60523

(630) 954-3773

(Name, Address, Including Zip Code, and Telephone Number, Including Area Code, of Agent For Service)

Copies to:

Alexander D. Lynch

Merritt S. Johnson

Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP

767 Fifth Avenue

New York, New York 10153

(212) 310-8000 (Phone)

(212) 310-8007 (Fax)

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act.  ☐

CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE

EXPLANATORY NOTE

This Registration Statement registers shares of Common Stock of the Registrant that may be issued and sold under the Equity Plans.

PART I

INFORMATION REQUIRED IN THE SECTION 10(a) PROSPECTUS

The documents containing the information specified in Item 1 and Item 2 of Part I of Form S-8 will be sent or given to employees as specified by Rule 428(b)(1) under the Securities Act. In accordance with the rules and regulations of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) and the instructions to Form S-8, such documents are not being filed with the Commission either as part of this Registration Statement or as prospectuses or prospectus supplements pursuant to Rule 424 under the Securities Act.

PART II

INFORMATION REQUIRED IN THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT

The Registrant hereby incorporates by reference into this Registration Statement the following documents previously filed with the Commission:

All documents subsequently filed by the Registrant with the Commission pursuant to Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 and 15(d) of the Exchange Act, on or after the date of this Registration Statement prior to the filing of a post-effective amendment to this Registration Statement which indicates that all securities offered hereby have been sold or which deregisters all securities then remaining unsold, shall be deemed to be incorporated by reference into this Registration Statement and to be a part hereof from the date of filing of such documents with the Commission. Unless expressly incorporated into this Registration Statement, a report (or portion thereof) furnished on Form 8-K prior or subsequent to the date hereof shall not be incorporated by reference into this Registration Statement.

Any statement contained in a document incorporated by reference herein shall be deemed to be modified or superseded for purposes hereof to the extent that a statement contained herein (or in any subsequently filed document which also is incorporated by reference herein or any document which constitutes part of the prospectus relating to the Equity Plans meeting the requirements of Section 10(a) of the Securities Act) modifies or supersedes such statement. Any statement so modified or superseded shall not be deemed, except as so modified or superseded, to constitute a part of this Registration Statement.

Not applicable.

None.

The Registrant is governed by the Delaware General Corporation Law, or DGCL. Section 145 of the DGCL provides that a corporation may indemnify any person, including an officer or director, who was or is, or is threatened to be made, a party to any threatened, pending or completed legal action, suit or proceeding, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative (other than an action by or in the right of such corporation), by reason of the fact that such person was or is an officer, director, employee or agent of such corporation or is or was serving at the request of such corporation as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation or enterprise. The indemnity may include expenses (including attorneys’ fees), judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement actually and reasonably incurred by such person in connection with such action, suit or proceeding, provided such officer, director, employee or agent acted in good faith and in a manner such person reasonably believed to be in, or not opposed to, the corporation’s best interest and, for criminal proceedings, had no reasonable cause to believe that such person’s conduct was unlawful. A Delaware corporation may indemnify any person, including an officer or director, who was or is, or is threatened to be made, a party to any threatened, pending or contemplated action or suit by or in the right of such corporation, under the same conditions, except that such indemnification is limited to expenses (including attorneys’ fees) actually and reasonably incurred by such person, and except that no indemnification is permitted without judicial approval if such person is adjudged to be liable to such corporation. Where an officer or director of a corporation is successful, on the merits or otherwise, in the defense of any action, suit or proceeding referred to above, or any claim, issue or matter therein, the corporation must indemnify that person against the expenses (including attorneys’ fees) which such officer or director actually and reasonably incurred in connection therewith.

The Registrant’s amended and restated bylaws authorizes the indemnification of its officers and directors, consistent with Section 145 of the DGCL, as amended. The Registrant has entered into indemnification agreements with each of its directors. These agreements, among other things, require the Registrant to indemnify each director to the fullest extent permitted by Delaware law, including indemnification of expenses such as attorneys’ fees, judgments, fines and settlement amounts incurred by the director in any action or proceeding, including any action or proceeding by or in right of the Registrant, arising out of the person’s services as a director.

Reference is made to Section 102(b)(7) of the DGCL, which enables a corporation in its original certificate of incorporation or an amendment thereto to eliminate or limit the personal liability of a director for violations of the director’s fiduciary duty, except (i) for any breach of the director’s duty of loyalty to the corporation or its stockholders, (ii) for acts or omissions not in good faith or which involve intentional misconduct or a knowing violation of law, (iii) pursuant to Section 174 of the DGCL, which provides for liability of directors for unlawful payments of dividends of unlawful stock purchase or redemptions, or (iv) for any transaction from which a director derived an improper personal benefit.

The Registrant expects to maintain standard policies of insurance that provide coverage (i) to its directors and officers against loss rising from claims made by reason of breach of duty or other wrongful act and (ii) to the Registrant with respect to indemnification payments that it may make to such directors and officers.

Not applicable.

The exhibits to this Registration Statement are listed in the Exhibit Index below and are incorporated by reference herein.

3

4

Exhibit Index

5

SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, the registrant certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe that it meets all of the requirements for filing on Form S-8 and has duly caused this Registration Statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the City of Oak Brook, State of Illinois, on October 20, 2021.

KNOW ALL MEN BY THESE PRESENTS, that each of the undersigned constitutes and appoints each of Michelle Hook or Susan Shelton, or any of them, each acting alone, his true and lawful attorney-in-fact and agent, with full power of substitution and resubstitution, for such person and in his name, place and stead, in any and all capacities, to sign this Registration Statement on Form S-8 (including all pre-effective and post-effective amendments and registration statements filed pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act of 1933), and to file the same, with all exhibits thereto, and other documents in connection therewith, with the Securities and Exchange Commission, granting unto said attorneys-in-fact and agents, each acting alone, full power and authority to do and perform each and every act and thing requisite and necessary to be done in and about the premises, as fully to all intents and purposes as he might or could do in person, hereby ratifying and confirming that any such attorney-in-fact and agent, or his substitute or substitutes, may lawfully do or cause to be done by virtue hereof.

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, this Registration Statement has been signed by the following persons in the capacities indicated on October 20, 2021.

Exhibit 5.1

		767 Fifth Avenue New York, NY 10153-0119 +1 212 310 8000 tel +1 212 310 8007 fax

October 20, 2021

Portillo’s Inc.

2001 Spring Road, Suite 400

Oak Brook, IL 60523

Ladies and Gentlemen:

We have acted as counsel to Portillo’s Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), in connection with the preparation and filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission of the Company’s Registration Statement on Form S-8 (the “Registration Statement”), under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), relating to the registration by the Company of up to 7,148,049 shares of the Company’s Class A common stock which may be issued pursuant to the Portillo’s Inc. 2021 Equity Incentive Plan (the “2021 Equity Plan”), as well as up to 6,416,865 shares of the Company’s Class A common stock which may be issued under the Portillo’s Inc. 2014 Equity Incentive Plan (the “2014 Equity Plan” and along with the 2021 Equity Plan, the “Equity Plans”) which is incorporated by reference as Exhibit 99.1 to the Registration Statement, par value $0.01 per share, of the Company (the “Shares”).

In so acting, we have examined originals or copies (certified or otherwise identified to our satisfaction) of (i) the Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation of the Company; (ii) the Amended and Restated Bylaws of the Company; (iii) the Equity Plans; (iv) the Registration Statement; and (v) such corporate records, agreements, documents and other instruments, and such certificates or comparable documents of public officials and of officers and representatives of the Company, and have made such inquiries of such officers and representatives, as we have deemed relevant and necessary as a basis for the opinion hereinafter set forth.

In such examination, we have assumed the genuineness of all signatures, the legal capacity of all natural persons, the authenticity of all documents submitted to us as originals, the conformity to original documents of all documents submitted to us as certified, conformed or photostatic copies, and the authenticity of the originals of such latter documents. As to all questions of fact material to this opinion that have not been independently established, we have relied upon certificates or comparable documents of officers and representatives of the Company.

Based on the foregoing, and subject to the qualifications stated herein, we are of the opinion that the Shares, when issued and delivered upon the receipt of consideration constituting lawful consideration under Delaware law in accordance with the Equity Plans, will be validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable.

October 20, 2021 Page 2

The opinions expressed herein is limited to the corporate laws of the State of Delaware, and we express no opinion as to the effect on the matters covered by this letter of the laws of any other jurisdiction.

We hereby consent to the use of this letter as an exhibit to the Registration Statement and to any and all references to our firm in the Registration Statement. In giving such consent we do not hereby admit that we are in the category of persons whose consent is required under Section 7 of the Securities Act or the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Very truly yours,

/s/ Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP

Exhibit 23.1

CONSENT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

We consent to the incorporation by reference in this Registration Statement on Form S-8 of our report dated July 16, 2021 (August 27, 2021, as to the effects of the restatement discussed in Note 2), relating to the financial statements of PHD Group Holdings LLC, appearing in Registration Statement No. 333-259810 on Form S-1 of Portillo’s Inc.

Exhibit 23.2

CONSENT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

We consent to the incorporation by reference in this Registration Statement on Form S-8 of our report dated September 27, 2021, relating to the balance sheet of Portillo’s Inc., appearing in Registration Statement No. 333-259810 on Form S-1 of Portillo’s Inc.