The grand opening of a suburban Portillo's restaurant was met with controversy Tuesday.

Demonstrators gathered outside the new Deerfield restaurant during a planned ribbon-cutting ceremony at 10:30 a.m., in an effort to push the chain to ban guns from all of its locations.

The fight stems from a deadly shooting at a Brown's Chicken restaurant in nearby Palatine 23 years ago in which seven employees were killed in the attack. The owners of the Brown's Chicken and Portillo's chains are brothers.

"We don't think people need guns to eat hot dogs and roast beef," said Lee Goodman, who helped organize the protest after learning the chain would not post "no guns allowed" signs.

A pro-gun group also had members on hand to counter protest.

"Putting up a sign on a door that says don't bring your gun in here, that's not going to stop it," said demonstrator Kirth Turner. "If guys want to come in and rob something or do some damage that stupid sign is not going to do anything to stop him."

Portillo’s founder Dick Portillo, CEO Keith Kinsey, and Deerfield Mayor Harriet Rosenthal attended the grand opening.

Portillo said he said respects the groups' right to protest in front of one of his newest restaurants, but does not agree with those asking him to put up the sign.

"If we put signs all over should we get rid of the police department?" he said. "Signs do not work. The bad guys are not going to care if there is a sign on the window or not."

Despite the controversy, the company is looking forward to the expansion.

“Founder Dick Portillo and our entire team have been looking to expand into the Deerfield market for many years,” said Portillo’s CEO Keith Kinsey. “We have appreciated the full support of the village and we look forward to finally being a part of the Deerfield community.”

The 9,000 square foot restaurant at 700 Lake Cook Rd. will feature seating for over 200 guests, two drive-thru lanes and a seasonal outdoor patio, according to the company.

It marks Portillo’s 46th Chicago-area location.