Friday, October 29, 2010
We Did the Mash!
Things around here have been far from spooky! On Thursday, October 28, we unveiled the completed carryout area of our Schaumburg location at the corner of Schaumburg and Roselle Roads. The new addition features a separate area for carryout pick-up and a brand new, state of the art kitchen complete including six pizza ovens with room to spare for two more if needed! The Village of Schaumburg was there to help celebrate the grand opening of the new addition with a ribbon cutting ceremony. Marc Malnati even challenged the Mayor and elected officials from the village to a pizza cook-off!
Aside from celebrating the completion of the Schaumburg carryout location, we've been getting into the Halloween spirit around the office as well. Marc and Jeanne Malnati's granddaughter came by for a visit and, we must say, we didn't know pizza could be this cute!
 Marc Malnati with his wife, Jeanne Malnati and granddaughter Lucy Jean
 Lucy Jean with her Great Grandmother, Jean Malnati-MillerWe love spending time with our family and are looking forward to a fun, and hopefully not too frightful, Halloween weekend. What does your family have planned for Halloween? What will you be dressing up as? Whatever it may be, from our family to yours, we hope you have a fantastic and safe Halloween weekend!
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Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Attitude is Everything
We’re a close knit family here at Lou Malnati’s. We stand behind one another and support each other through the volatile journey we call life. Highs or lows, good or bad - we ride it out with our employees and do what we can to help. We take pride in the people we hire and come to think of them as a part of our family. We also take pride in knowing our employees are strong, driven, positive and total rockstars.
As Winston Churchill once said, “Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference.” A positive attitude can get you through just about anything along with the help and support of those dear to you. Meagan Sunde has been a part of the Malnati family for a little over 3 years. After being diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer she made the choice to stay positive and keep her spirits high. Not only are we proud of her attitude and courage, we're proud to call her family.
 Photo courtesy of the Northwest Herald
The following is from the Northwest Herald article that featured her story:
If she doesn’t pick up, Meagan Sunde’s callers hear a cheery voice mail greeting. “Hi, this is Meagan. I’m feeling good and looking forward to talking to you.”
When she was diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer, Sunde had a neighbor at her house with a bouquet of flowers that night, she said. “As a survivor, you can’t get through what you go through without love and support of your friends, family, neighbors, co-workers,” the Huntley woman said. “So many people called to check in on me.”
A mother of two and married for 20 years, Sunde said she made sure to keep positive and hopeful when telling her kids. “My tone was definitely ‘We’re going to beat this, guys,’ ” she said. “We’re going to fight it; we’re going to do everything we can through prayer, our faith, our friends. I never wanted to get to the sad, dark hole.”
After all, she had beaten cancer once before. At 18 years old, Sunde was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma. It was her second time with it all – the chemo, the radiation – yet she remains incredibly positive. She has been in remission since April and goes in every three months to meet with an oncologist. “I don’t know what tomorrow is going to bring, but I’m hopeful,” she said.
 Meagan with Lou Malnati's District Manager, Mike Sterner
We’re hopeful for the future too, Meagan - you’re an inspiration to us all.
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Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Nothing Like Mama's Home Cooking
Every mother has their signature dish that helps ease their families rumbling tummies. Growing up, I always looked forward to Wednesday spaghetti nights. Wednesday's were great - we were half way through the week, making plans for the weekend and Mom was cooking up spaghetti... life was good. Even if the week was off to a rough start, we could always count on having a nice home cooked meal and some great family conversation come Wednesday. These days, families seem to be a bit busier than before. There are houses to maintain, kids to drop off at sporting events, friends to keep up with and animals to take care of... sometimes it's hard to find the time to cook up a nice meal to get everyone around the table come suppertime. For those days when it's hard to even think about boiling a pot of water, give Mama Malnati a call. We'll help you provide a nice, fresh, home cooked meal for you and your family. Whether you want help catering for a party or some pasta and salad for a Tuesday night dinner - we've got you covered. We know we're known for our delicious deep dish pizza, but have you tried the other goodies on our menu? Believe it or not, pizza isn't the only thing we're good at making - Penne ala Malnati pasta, Lasagna, Beef Sandwiches, salads and more. Mama Malnati has delicious recipes for everyone at the table. So now that we have you thinking about it - what are your plans for dinner?
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Friday, October 22, 2010
Conversation of Memories
Memories are something every person holds sacred. Aside from keeping photographs and souvenirs, memories are the only part of the past that actually stay with you at all times. We carry them with us every minute of every day and share them with those dear to us. While looking back and reminiscing about memories is fun and enjoyable, the real joy is in making them. Curious about the memories that involve our restaurants and deep dish, we posted this for our Twitter followers: "Favorite memory involving Lou's - GO!" We're pleased to see happy memories tied to us:
- Friday night movie with the family Lou's ruined me enjoying any other pizza ever : )
- That first slice at the Naperville restaurant in 1994- HOOKED
- My husband and I had our rehearsal dinner there back in 2000!!!!
- veggie 'za at the beach. Deepdish (obviously), messy, delicious!!
- Enjoying with the locals on Wells St whilst visiting my favorite American city on business. Maybe open a Lou's in Nashville?
- um... Eating it and not wanting it to end lol
The Wonder Years put it best, "Memory is a way of holding onto the things you love, the things you are, the things you never want to lose." Is a trip to Lou's your way of walking down memory lane? What's your favorite memory involving Lou Malnati's?
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Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Museum's New Roommate
Chicago's Museum of Science and Industry has a pretty interesting experiment going on right now - live in the Museum for 30 days while experiencing every exhibit and reporting the experience via Twitter, Facebook and blogging. This is basically every child's dream come true. The Museum of Science and Industry has to be one of the most interesting museums Chicago has on its lakefront, not to mention the largest science museum in the Western hemisphere. To be able to live there for a month - granted you are cut off from friends, family, social life, etc. - would be pretty amazing. How many people do you know of, aside from Ben Stiller, have spent more than an entire day in a museum? Holding true to the theme of the Museum, the winner was revealed
through a classic scientific experiment - hydrogen peroxide and sodium
iodide reaction... also known as every kids favorite past-time - the homemade
volcanic eruption.
The contest winner, Kate McGroarty of Chicago, is set to move in today and will have until November 18 to discover everything there is to know about the Museum. Can't sleep? Get into the snooze groove at the Swiss Jolly Ball classic pinball exhibit. Deep in thought? Head on over to the U-505 Submarine exhibit and get lost. Feeling playful? Check out the Toy Maker 3000 exhibit and see how toys are robotically manufactured. There's so much see and experience, a month will definitely fly by! Our only question is how does she plan to survive a month without eating Lou Malnati's deep dish? Can she place an order for delivery? The contest rules don't mention anything about take-out procedures ;-).
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Monday, October 18, 2010
Got Something to Say?
We want to hear it! As you know, we love interacting with our customers and hearing their stories. If you tell us about the first time you had a slice of deep dish or had a memorable date at one of our restaurants, you can guarantee we're smiling from ear to ear for the rest of the day. As much as Facebook and Twitter have helped to increase communication and keep the conversation going, we still like hearing and posting your stories on our website in a special forum called Lou's Family Album. We believe that each customer is part of our family and what better way to show our appreciation than sharing your heartfelt stories with the rest of the world. Family, much like great deep dish, is of the utmost importance to us so when our customers share an experience their family had at one of our locations - or even in their own home with a package from Tastes of Chicago - we're delighted and honored.
What memories have you created at Lou Malnati's? Let us know - share your story with us.
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Friday, October 15, 2010
22 hours
The world breathed a sigh of relief this past Wednesday after all 33 men trapped in the Chilean mine collapse were rescued and brought to the surface. It really puts into perspective the different jobs we take and the possible dangers involved. Each miner knew the danger their job entailed but decided to work in the field despite the fact. Safety precautions are taken and emergency plans are constructed but the hope is to never have to implement them. After the initial collapse, the miners organized themselves and made a 2-day emergency food supply last more than 2 weeks while waiting for contact from the surface. Their discipline and hope is commendable as well as admirable. Not only does that take a strong person, it also takes a strong will. Like Ralph Waldo Emerson said though, "we acquire the strength we have overcome." For everything these miners have gone though, they will be remembered for their strength and perseverance.
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Monday, October 11, 2010
It's All About the Details
Attention to detail is critical, whether it be in the fashion,
automotive, education or restaurant industry, details are the small
morsels that have a huge impact. Lou Malnati's pays attention to a
number of different details in an effort to present the best deep dish,
customer service and overall experience to our customers. From picking
the right ingredients to training our staff to providing responsive
customer service, our goal is pretty clear: quality.
Every deep
dish pizza is handmade from scratch using the finest and freshest
ingredients. Every year, our team heads to California to hand-select
the vine-ripened tomatoes that makes our sauce sweet and tangy. Our
sausage is exclusively blended and seasoned to our exact specifications
and our fresh mozzarella cheese has been supplied by the same small
Wisconsin dairy for over 37 years. Not to mention, the secret family
recipe for the flaky, buttery crust has been perfected and passed down
from generation to generation.
We're dedicated to offering the
best deep dish you've ever tasted with remarkable customer service and
staff that makes you feel like family. In order to achieve this,
attention must be paid to the details....
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Friday, October 08, 2010
Fall Festivities
Every family has a tradition. Some traditions are based on the seasons, others are based on certain dates and others for no real reason other than wanting to have some fun. My family had a lot of fall traditions when I was growing up. We would go to the Scarecrow Fest in St. Charles, IL, apple picking in Wauconda, pumpkin picking in Wisconsin and then pumpkin carving the week or so before Halloween. Not to mention the family tradition of going to the Shriners' Circus and then to Lou Malnati's on Wells for pizza afterwards. They're traditions that are meant to be carried on and traditions that helped to strengthen our family bond. Traditions are the cement that keep families grounded and bring them back to their roots. No matter how old you get, where you end up living or what you end up doing with your life - when the time comes, you'll always remember your family's traditions and keep them alive. Lou's has been fortunate enough to be apart of some family's traditions, whether it be birthday celebrations, anniversaries or even weekend date-nights - we're thankful and proud to be apart of it. What are some of the traditions your family has that you have carried on and kept alive?
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Monday, October 04, 2010
Who Do You Follow?
Connecting with one another has been made very easy these days with the abundance of options that have become available. Day to day communication, as we know it, has changed for good and social networks and media are now king. Not only have individuals mastered the social media wave, but so have businesses. Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn - you name it, business have gotten a hold of it and use these platforms as a way to reach their customers and interact with them. So... what makes a brand worth following? Lou Malnati's makes an effort to have an active conversation with customers and fans that contact us using Facebook and Twitter and, frankly, it's a lot of fun. Not only are customers and fans able to reach us instantly, but we're able to share news and events in the blink of an eye. It's no secret that Lou's loves any comments, complaints or compliments you have to offer - this is how we recognize what works, what doesn't and what needs improvement. With the rise of social media, however, the playing field has become, well, more playful. We're able to engage with our followers on more than just deep dish now - who would have thought!?
If there's anything new and upcoming in the realm of social media, technology or web culture, Mashable.com knows about it and makes sure consumers stay informed. This year marks their 4th Annual Mashable Awards, which was created to recognize achievement and innovation by businesses and individuals in the social media scene through an open voting platform by consumers and fans. Let your voice be heard and nominate your favorite Chicago-style deep dish family for this year's "Must Follow Brand" category.
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Friday, October 01, 2010
Turning a New Leaf
The leaves are changing colors, the air is getting crisper and Friday night football games are the place to be - welcome to Fall, everyone! There's always a sense of renewal around the time the leaves start to change colors and fall off the trees; we've all seen it before but the beauty found in nature around this time never fails to leave us in a state of awe. Lou Malnati's has undergone its own sense of renewal with the Travel Channel's Food Wars win over Pizzeria UNO this past Wednesday. Not only has our spirit been rejuvenated, but so has our sense of accomplishment in offering the world the best Chicago-style deep dish that's available. We take a lot of pride in offering the best tasting pizza at an affordable price and this victory has just increased our drive to keep performing and exceeding expectations. As Marc said though, Pizzeria UNO is where it all started - it's the mecca for deep dish. Homage must be paid to the establishment responsible for creating the dish that we have come to know and love.
Along with renewal, Lou's has also experienced expansion this week - our 31st pizzeria opened yesterday, September 30, 2010, in Bolingbrook, Illinois. Be sure to stop by soon and say hi - we're ready for ya!
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