Lou Malnati’s Pizzeria, known for its legendary deep dish pizza in Chicago, is celebrating its 50th Anniversary. While plenty has changed since 1971, Lou Malnati’s Pizzeria has remained true to quality, hospitality and deep dish delights that have made them a deep dish favorite across the nation. On March 17, 1971, Lou Malnati and his wife Jean, opened their first deep dish pizzeria in Lincolnwood, a northern suburb of Chicago. From that restaurant, a recipe for success was created and a legacy was born and continues through Lou’s sons Marc and Rick.
From the start, the company has emphasized its core values of teamwork, hospitality, excellence, growth, integrity, family and tradition. With a focus on providing great customer service and serving quality food with unmatched hospitality, Lou Malnati’s has become one of Chicago’s most iconic brands.
READ ALSO: Ranking Arizona: Top 10 pizza parlors for 2020
Throughout the years, Malnati’s has created a special culture which focuses on relationships, people development and growth. With over 3,500 employees in Chicago, Indianapolis, Milwaukee and Phoenix, Lou Malnati’s was recognized as one of the Chicago Tribune’s Top 100 Places to Work for the 11th year in a row and also voted as a National Top Workplace. In addition, the company continues to plan to add pizzerias in all current markets, and will continue to explore new markets.
“As I look back on our first 50 years, my brother and I are grateful to have had a mother and father that taught us that anyone can be successful if they’re willing to persevere, and strive for excellence in all that they do. Building Malnati’s has been an incredible team effort, and our goal has always been to bring people in that are willing to do the relational work necessary to create more than just another company, but to actually create a community,” said owner, Marc Malnati.
To kick-off the celebration, Lou Malnati’s is planning a golden year of exciting 50th Anniversary special events for customers, employees, partners and vendors including:
• Special menu offers during March and April
• Customer contests through social media
• Special events in all markets
• Employee engagement activities
Visit the website at loumalnatis.com for a complete list and specific details on the planned activities. The website will be updated as events are added.
Lou Malnati’s remains dedicated to the authenticity of the brand, helping its employees accomplish their personal and professional goals, and their tradition of generosity. Malnati’s could not have achieved their recipe for success without the dedication, hard work and loyalty of the talented team at the organization, and they take pride in giving back through many different methods.
“Malnati’s has been fortunate to be embraced as a hometown favorite of Chicagoans, the friendliest, most sincere, people on the planet, and the world’s true connoisseurs of pizza. We sincerely appreciate the springboard to open our pizzerias in Arizona and the Midwest in the past few years. In the immediate future, we will continue to persuade people across the country to expand their pizza horizons to include Lou Malnati’s deep dish,” added Malnati.
During COVID, the demand for the comfort of pizza has intensified. Even without dine-in, Malnati’s local delivery service, curbside pickup and national online shipping have been a weekly staple for thousands of people. “Our Tastes of Chicago e-commerce business, featuring the most iconic restaurants in town shipping their Chicago delicacies across the country, has tripled in size, as people who were obsessing were able to get ‘Chicago’ deposited on their doorstep overnight,” Malnati mentioned.
“We have a strong leadership team, led by our CEO Mike Archer, and we are a family business that loves to be an integral part of our customers’ family traditions. We are working hard to create even more opportunities to celebrate together, as our biggest goal is to be around 50 years from now,” added Malnati.
While the Malnati family became famous for their original recipe, and top-notch quality and hospitality since opening in 1971, it will continue to carry on the family tradition and provide celebrations and memorable experiences for years to come.
