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We’ve seen love blossom in our stores over the years! Read about some of those love stories involving our team members.

Amy and Juan Garcia

Amy most recently worked for our Tastes of Chicago Team

Juan is our Tastes of Chicago Plant Operations Manager

“My love and I met at the Schaumberg restaurant about 11 years ago while we both worked there. We are the perfect example of ‘from hate to love’ and now we’ve been happily together for over 9 years.”

Sarah and Raul Varela

Sarah is an Assistant General Manager at Naperville

Raul is an Assistant General Manager at Oak Brook

“Raul and I both started within a few months of one another at the Lou’s in Downtown Naperville back in 2010. A whopping 15 years ago. We’ve been together for about 14 years now. I was a part of the PHC crew and he was a busser. We made it official in “booth 70” and it’s been history ever since. We even had our engagement photos taken at the downtown Naperville restaurant and our rehearsal dinner at Oakbrook Terrace. So many blessings have come out of us meeting at Lou’s. From creating lifelong friendships, growing both personally and professionally, but the most beautiful blessing of all is our 1-year-old son. We are just one of many LOU’ve stories to share!”

Veronica and Jimmy Solis

Veronica is the General Manager of Oak Brook

Jimmy is a part of our Kitchen Operations Team

“Jimmy and I met almost 20 years ago officially in our Wilmette location. I had never worked with Jimmy, but he had been asked to retrain us on how to make some sauces correctly. Honestly, the moment I saw him chopping parsley with two knives (so nerdy) I knew he was going to be stuck with me forever! We started dating about a week or so after that and were married not even a year later. Now it’s been 18 years that we have been together! It’s been the best time of our lives! We have two boys Emilio, 16, and Ben 14, and we expect them to work at Lou’s someday too!”

Here’s to many more amazing LOUve stories!

LOU MALNATI’S IS DISHING OUT SOME LOVE FOR VALENTINE’S DAY WITH HEART-SHAPED DEEP DISH PIZZAS FOR FEBRUARY 

Celebrate with friends, family or loved ones all month long with Lou Malnati’s heart-shaped pizzas and support Feeding America® local food banks to spread the love in February

CHICAGO, January 17, 2025 – It’s time to dish out some love, and Lou Malnati’s – known for its legendary deep dish pizza and a beloved Chicago brand – is serving heart-shaped pizzas for the month of February at all locations in Chicago, Indianapolis, Milwaukee and Phoenix. Lou’s fans can also ship these unique Chicago-style heart shaped pizzas and other sweet eats from the Windy City nationwide via Tastes of Chicago. Whether guests are looking for something special to enjoy with their loved ones at home or at a Lou’s restaurant or want to send some love to friends and family across the country, Lou Malnati’s’ provides a way for all to give a pizza of their heart and give back.  

“We believe in dishing out the love and Valentine’s Day is a perfect time to gather together with friends and family to share Lou Malnati’s heart-shaped pizzas” said Marc Malnati, owner of Lou Malnati’s.  It’s our second year doing this campaign and we’re excited to partner with the local food banks.  We raised over $35k in the past and look forward to increasing that donation this year.  As many loyal fans know the best way to a foodie’s heart is through their stomach and nothing says I love you more than our legendary deep dish.  To help dish out some love this month we will donate $1 for every heart-shaped pizza ordered from one of our restaurants to support Feeding America® local food banks in our markets.  In addition, we’ll donate a pizza to a local Chicago-area food pantry with every purchase of a Spreading Hearts package through Tastes of Chicago.”  

For the month of February to celebrate Valentine’s Day, Lou Malnati’s is offering its 9-inch heart-shaped deep dish pizzas in cheese, sausage or pepperoni – along with other sweet specialties and activations, including:  

• Dish Out Some Love: Lou Malnati’s Legendary Heart-Shaped Deep Dish Pizzas, Gift Cards and Valentine’s Day Eats & Treats have got you covered! Check out the Louve mobile and see if you can find it spreading the love all month long in Chicago!      

• Pizza Proposal – Fall in Love with Lou’s: Lou’s wants to make your proposal unforgettable!  We’re searching for one lucky person to help Dish Out the Love and create the proposal of your dreams. To be considered, enter at www.loumalnatis.com/proposal with, your love story, and why you want Lou’s to be part of your big day. One winner will be selected on Tuesday Jan 28th to receive an epic engagement package, including a professional photographer, an engagement party hosted at Lou’s, and late-night bites for your future wedding! Additionally, three runner-up winners will receive late-night bites for their wedding celebrations. It’s the ultimate proposal and love story!  

• Lou Malnati’s Gift Cards: Gift Lou’s to Your Love – From your sweetie to your pals, gift them with Lou’s virtual gift cards and spread the deep dish love all month long.     

• Lou Malnati’s Heart-Shaped Deep Dish Pizzas: Lou Malnati’s is teaming up with Feeding America® local food banks, to donate $1 for every heart-shaped pizza ordered from one of the locations from February 1 – February 28, 2025. The $1 donation will help provide 10 meals to neighbors in need.  It’s a special way to share a slice with your sweetheart at one of the restaurants or in the comfort of your own home and give back.  For guests looking to avoid the Valentine’s Day rush, half-baked or frozen heart-shaped deep dish pizzas can be picked up from each location to take and bake at home.    

•  Tastes of Chicago – Spreading Hearts: Spread the love with this special Spreading Hearts package and share a gift of love in more ways than one.  The package includes one heart-shaped Lou Malnati’s deep dish pizza, one heart-shaped chocolate chip cookie and two tiny pewter hearts, so your recipient can keep one and share one. Lou Malnati’s will donate a pizza to a local Chicago-area food pantry with every purchase.  Please visit https://www.spreadinghearts.org/ for more information.    

• Tastes of Chicago – Heart-Shaped Cakes, Cookies & Valentine’s Day Popcorn: Fan favorites will be available for shipping Valentine’s Day gifts nationwide – with love from Chicago.  From savory to sweet, delicious hometown favorites and iconic eats including Lou’s heart-shaped pizzas and cookies, Garrett Popcorn Petite Pink Tins, Eli’s Heart-Shaped Cheesecakes and Portillo’s Heart-Shaped Chocolate Cakes are the perfect gift to be shared with those you love nationwide and can be shipped directly to their door through Tastes of Chicago.  Lou Malnati’s assortment of Chicago-style pizzas are available in combination packs that can be mixed and matched to satisfy everyone’s cravings.   

LOU MALNATI’S PIZZERIA IS HEADING BACK TO THE NASCAR CHICAGO STREET RACE FOR THE SECOND-STRAIGHT YEAR! 

We’re proud to once again partner with this historic race that will be held in Grant Park on July 6 & 7.

With visitors expected from all around the world, this one-of-a-kind race offers a chance to highlight all Chicago has to offer to all who visit. Beyond the race, guests will be treated live music and have a chance to experience some of what makes our city so unique – including food, art, and culture. This is where we come into play! If you’re attending the race, be sure to visit the main beer tent and/or food pavilion to purchase a slice of Chicago in the form of Lou Malnati’s iconic deep-dish pizza. Options include the classics: cheese, sausage and pepperoni.

Attendees are also encouraged to visit our Lou Malnati’s Fan Zone tent, where they can enter to win Free Pizza for a Year! This can be redeemed either at Lou’s restaurants or through nationwide shipping courtesy of Tastes of Chicago. Beyond the chance at free pizza, fans will also be able to play an interactive game to win limited edition Lou’s X NASCAR Chicago Street Race swag! Temporary Lou Malnati’s tattoos and stickers will also be available throughout the weekend for those who want to show their love for deep dish.

Follow this link for more information and offers around the upcoming NASCAR Chicago Street Race!

Enter To Win Tickets for a Def Leppard and Journey Rock and Roll Experience in the Windy City

Lou Malnati’s Pizzeria, home of Chicago’s authentic deep dish pizza, has partnered with AEG Presents, the live-entertainment division of Los Angeles-based AEG, to welcome Def Leppard and Journey to Chicago and Wrigley Field.

This July, Lou Malnati’s is cooking up something legendary in partnership with AEG Presents – Def Leppard and Journey in Chicago. Don’t stop believing in this iconic Chicago experience and get your deep dish fix any way you want it. Come see Def Leppard and Journey at Wrigley Field and pour some parm on your pizza. Check out Lou Malnati’s social and website to enter for a chance to win a pair of concert tickets in Chicago and click here for more details.

LEGENDARY PIZZERIA’S NEW CARRYOUT AND DELIVERY BUNDLES PROVIDE VALUE AND CONVENIENCE TO FEED A CREW UP TO 6 FOR JUST UNDER $10 A PERSON FOR PICNICS, TAILGATES AND EASY SUMMER NEEDS

CHICAGO – June 20, 2024 – The summer solstice is finally here and Lou Malnati’s Pizzeria is kicking off a convenient and value-driven menu offering an easy way for fans to fuel their summer fun. A family-owned company known for bringing people together around the table over its legendary deep dish pizza, Lou Malnati’s will offer special Malnati Meal Deals at all Chicagoland locations starting June 20, 2024. The new pizza bundles include mix-and-match meal deals that are designed to serve up to four to six guests for less than $10 per person and priced starting at $39.95.

As summer gets underway and families are looking for affordable dining options, the bundles provide an easy meal ideal for concerts, picnics, tailgates, or fun family dinners that don’t require cooking in the kitchen.  Bring the crew together for a meal deal and pizza party perfect for game nights, movie nights and watch parties to enjoy with friends and family at home.

Malnati Meal Deals come in two options and includes the following:

One Pizza Malnati Meal Deal

(starting at $39.95)

Feeds four to five people. Comes with choice of one large deep dish cheese pizza or extra large thin crust cheese pizza; one appetizer (family house salad, family Caesar salad, medium traditional or boneless wings); four chocolate chip Carol’s Cookies.

Two Pizza Malnati Meal Deal

(starting at $54.95)

Feeds six to seven people. Comes with choice of two pizzas: two medium deep dish cheese pizzas or two large thin crust cheese pizzas, or one medium deep dish cheese pizza and one large thin crust cheese pizza; one appetizer (family house salad, family Caesar salad, medium traditional or boneless wings); four chocolate chip Carol’s Cookies.

Malnati Meal Deal bundles start at just under $10 per person and are available to order online or via the Lou Malnati’s app for carryout and delivery only. A four-pack of drinks can be added to either meal deal option for just $5.

“Our guests love spending quality time together at home enjoying their friends and families during the summer months and we wanted to give them a convenient way to do that while offering great value,” said Marc Malnati, owner of Lou Malnati’s. “Our new Malnati Meal Deals not only feed a hungry crew but offer the opportunity to enjoy our handmade from scratch pizza with some of our most beloved menu items for carryout or delivery at home.”

Malnati Meal Deals will be offered daily and available at all Chicago area locations for carryout and delivery options.  The bundles can be ordered online or via the Lou Malnati’s app starting June 20, 2024. For hours and location information, please visit www.loumalnatis.com.

LOU MALNATI’S PIZZERIA ANNOUNCES NEW LOCATION IN ARIZONA COMING SOON TO VILLAGE AT PRASADA IN SURPRISE

Legendary Deep Dish Pizzeria Debuts Full-Service Restaurant & Bar and Headed to West Valley

PHOENIX, AZ — (May 23, 2024) – Lou Malnati’s Pizzeria, based in Chicago, IL, announced that it will officially make Surprise, AZ home to its ninth location in the Phoenix metro area.  The famous deep dish pizzeria is slated to open its newest location in Fall 2024, currently under construction, at 13382 N Prasada Parkway in Surprise, AZ.  The new space is coming soon to the Village at Prasada in a free-standing building with patio in an established retail and restaurant area, adjacent to other local favorites, at the southwest corner of W Waddell Rd and N Prasada Parkway.  It’s conveniently located near Loop 303 and Waddell Road in the West Valley.

Lou Malnati’s opened its first restaurant in Phoenix in 2016, followed by locations in Arcadia, Scottsdale, Glendale, Mesa, Gilbert, Chandler and most recently in Tempe in December 2022.  The 6,100 square foot space will be a full-service restaurant and bar offering dine-in, carryout, delivery, curbside pick-up and drop off catering services for hungry fans in the Surprise area.  The delicious menu is highlighted by the legendary deep dish pizza and offers tasty thin crust along with signature appetizers, salads, pastas and desserts.  The new restaurant will offer a real deep dish dining experience and include a dining room, full-service bar, outdoor patio and more.  Featuring a contemporary design, it will seat approximately 220 guests for indoor dining with room for about 75 additional guests for outdoor dining.

The Malnati family has become famous for their original deep dish pizza recipe, top-notch quality, and hospitality since opening in 1971.  The company is still owned and operated by second generation family members as Lou Malnati’s son, Marc Malnati, proudly carries on the family tradition and honors their legacy.  Celebrating over 50 years in business, Lou Malnati’s currently operates 80 locations in Chicago, Indianapolis, Milwaukee, and Phoenix.

Malnati’s looks forward to opening a new full-service restaurant in the greater Phoenix area and expanding its footprint in Arizona.  The iconic pizzeria wants to provide a taste of Chicago to the Windy City transplants and residents in the Valley.  “Since our first location opened in Arizona, we’ve received a warm welcome from our loyal fan base in Phoenix,” said owner, Marc Malnati.  “Our team is excited to expand in the West Valley and make a new home in the city of Surprise.  We’re thrilled to bring our authentic Chicago-style deep dish pizza to the Village at Prasada and become immersed in the diverse, vibrant, and thriving community,” added Marc Malnati.  “We’re committed to providing jobs at our restaurants while supporting the local communities we serve and we’re humbled by all our loyal customers who love our food, family, and hospitality,” Malnati added.

In addition to serving up their famous deep dish, the company believes in becoming ingrained in the local communities they serve.  The pizzeria is well known for giving back and supporting local charities and schools through fundraisers, sponsorships, and volunteer involvement.  The Malnati tradition of generosity will continue through youth incentive programs, generous donation programs, and working with local organizations in Surprise and the surrounding communities.  For more information, please visit Lou Malnati’s Pizzeria in the Valley.