Lou Malnati’s, the beloved Chicago pizza institution long known for its iconic deep dish, announced Tuesday that it will begin shipping its popular alternative—Chicago Thin Crust—exclusively through its Tastes of Chicago platform, giving the rest of the nation access to this other quintessentially Windy City staple. Available only in restaurants for the past 30 years, Lou’s Chicago Thin Crust features its signature buttery flaky crust, edge-to-edge toppings under melty Wisconsin cheese, and importantly, square cut pieces that have fed decades of debates between the virtues of topping-forward “Innie” pieces vs. crusty ”Outie” pieces.
While Malnati’s won’t take a stand on this classic deliberation, it does want to know where the nation stands. To encourage fans to weigh in, Lou’s is giving away 3,000 free pizzas to consumers who take its “Innie” vs. “Outie” survey – available at www.AreYouInnieOrOutie.com.
“Chicagoans have been passionate about deep dish and thin crust pizza for years and have debated whether their favorite piece of the square-cut Thin Crust pizza is on the inside or outside. We thought it’s time we invite the rest of America to choose their side as well,” says Marc Malnati, owner of Lou Malnati’s. “And now, they don’t have to choose between our iconic Deep Dish and Chicago Thin. For the first time in decades, anyone can order our Thin Crust Pizzas on TastesofChicago.com, along with our national favorite Deep Dish, no matter where they live.”
The Malnatis have been hand-crafting pizza in Chicago since the early 1970s, building their fame and devoted following with their legendary Deep Dish. Before long, they started using their signature family recipes, exclusively sourced ingredients and crave-able crust to create a Thin Crust Pizza, a style equally unique to and celebrated in Chicago, though lesser known nationwide.
Starting Tuesday, Lou’s Chicago Thin Crust pizzas are available in packs of four, or in combination packs with Deep Dish, offering the ultimate Chicago pizza experience, offering the ultimate Chicago pizza experience. Pizzas are available in cheese, sausage or pepperoni. For more information or to place an order, customers can visit TastesOfChicago.com.
