City, state say ‘no’ to Portillo’s sign around The Halo on M-59
It’s a no-go for The Halo. Chicago-based Portillo’s Hot Dogs had planned to post temporary signs up near the big gold ring next week on M-59 (Hall Road) to mark the opening of a new restaurant in Sterling Heights.
Portillo’s PR team was struck by the resemblance of The Halo to their crispy fried onion rings and came up with plans to temporarily re-name it the “Golden Onion Ring” on opening day.
But city and state officials say they can’t allow the use of any commercial signs, which would pose a distraction to motorists.
“The M-59 median is MDOT’s right-of-way,” Michigan Department of Transportation spokesperson Diane Cross wrote in an email. “Anything in the right-of-way affects driver visibility and is not allowed.”
The 35-foot-tall structure was designed to let the public know they are passing through Macomb County’s “Golden Corridor.” It wasn’t meant to be a traditional public forum, according to Melanie Davis, a spokesperson for the city of Sterling Heights.
Portillo’s will pivot and make the renaming event a digital one on both the city’s and Portillo’s social media platforms, Davis said.
“They had planned to use the renaming as sort of a parody and irreverent event. We like when people utilize the iconic structure to create a buzz for the economic development aspect along M-59,” said Davis. “But we understand there are restrictions.”
Davis said the city supports the restaurant and is “so happy they are coming in.”
Portillo’s is located almost directly across from The Halo on the Sterling Heights side of M-59. When the marketing team for the eatery first saw it, they thought putting up signs around the structure to alert passing would be a fun way to mark the opening of the chain’s first restaurant in Michigan, according to a spokesperson.
“We will still be celebrating but in more of a digital format,” said Portillo’s Ana Espinoza. “The mayor will be there for our opening, along with a number of our company executives for the ribbon cutting and formal opening.”
The restaurant — which features Chicago-style hot dogs, chargrilled hamburgers, Italian beef sandwiches and more — is scheduled to open at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday.
The Halo has been the butt of numerous jokes and memes on social media by critics who were not happy with the sculpture’s $180,000 price tag. It has been dubbed the “golden butthole” after seeing the term on a satirical Facebook page The Golden Butthole of Macomb County.