2 Chicago companies will land in D-FW, selling Italian beef sandwiches and ice cream

Buona and The Original Rainbow Cone Ice Cream Shop, two Chicago food companies with a combined 141 years of history, are expanding into Dallas-Fort Worth.

The two will sell Italian beef sandwiches and five-flavor stacks of ice cream under one roof in North Texas starting in 2025. The company wants to expand first to Frisco and McKinney; leases are not signed yet. As many as 10 or 20 of these hybrid Chicago-based eateries might open across D-FW, a rep says.

Company execs are also looking to Hurst to open a standalone Rainbow Cone (without the Buona counterpart).

Buona is expected to be a competitor to Portillo’s, the buzzy chain that sells hot dogs and Italian beef sandwiches. Portillo’s expanded into D-FW in 2023.

Buona and Rainbow Cone made a partnership in 2018 to franchise together.

“I’ve been spending a lot of time in Texas,” said Joe Buonavolanto, executive vice president for Buona Companies. He laughs: “I can’t believe how much people love to eat there.”

Both Buona and Rainbow Cone sell specific food. Let’s get into it.

What is a Buona Italian beef sandwich?

In 1981, the Buonavolanto family started selling Italian beef sandwiches in Chicago. Buona is now operated by a younger generation of Buonavolantos — Joe the Third and Joe the Fourth — who have expanded the company more since 2014.

Although the company is known for its Italian beef sandwich, the menu includes more than 40 other items like burgers, hot dogs, rigatoni marinara, salads and a vegan “Italian beefless” sandwich.

The “original” Italian beef sandwich is made with sirloin that is seasoned, seared and roasted. The beef gravy — a broth that Texans might call jus — is made from the meat drippings.

The ribbons of beef are layered on French bread. Then come options: You can add mozzarella, cheddar, hot giardiniera and/or sweet peppers. And how would you like your gravy? The “original” way is with a splash of gravy on top, but there’s also “dry,” with no gravy; “dipped” in gravy; or “baptized,” which means a full gravy dunk.

Here’s what Buonavolanto gets: “I order our large beef, dipped, hot peppers.”

Texans who expect the gravy to come on the side, like at some French dip sandwiches at American restaurants, might be surprised. “Chicago people don’t do that,” Buonavolanto said. “It’s normal to have the bread a little wet.”

Buona’s options for sides include cheese fries, onion rings and beef bites, which are fried balls filled with Italian beef, gravy, cheese, and giardiniera.

What is a Rainbow Cone?

The Original Rainbow Cone Ice Cream Shop, or Rainbow Cone for short, has been around since 1926. It had but a single location for nearly 100 years, until 2021.

The traditional Rainbow Cone includes five ice cream flavors stacked in this order: chocolate, strawberry, Palmer House (which is “New York vanilla” with cherries and walnuts), pistachio, then orange sherbet. Most customers don’t mess with tradition. “Like you don’t put ketchup on a hot dog here in Chicago,” Buonavolanto said, “you don’t mess with the order [of the Rainbow Cone].”

Each layer is stacked, not scooped, a hallmark of the brand. The five-tier cone measures 8 inches high.

Rainbow Cone is owned by third-generation family member Lynn Sapp. Though Buonavolanto has been partnered with the company only for a few years, he ate a Rainbow Cone every summer as a kid at the Taste of Chicago festival.

Rainbow Cone also sell sundaes, shakes and cakes served by the slice, half or whole.

Why D-FW?

Buonavolanto said both iconic companies seemed scalable. He believes an “outer market” like Dallas isn’t saturated with competitors yet.

“In Chicago, there’s an Italian beef stand on every other block. But in other markets like Texas, Arizona and Florida, there’s not so much competition,” Buonavolanto said. “We feel the opportunity is very prime.”

They’ll potentially go head-to-head with Portillo’s. It has restaurants in The Colony, Allen, Arlington, Fort Worth and Denton, with more on the way. Buona, notably, hopes to start in two cities where Portillo’s isn’t (yet): Frisco and McKinney.

How are the restaurants formatted?

Some Buona and Rainbow Cone hybrid restaurants will have two front doors, one for each part of the shop. Customers can order at the counter and take a seat inside or outside.

Most of the Texas restaurants are also expected to have double-lane drive-throughs. Customers can order both Buona and Rainbow Cone from the same drive-up window.

For more food news, follow Sarah Blaskovich on X (formerly Twitter) at @sblaskovich.