Ashok Selvam is the editor of Eater Chicago and a native Chicagoan armed with more than two decades of award-winning journalism. Now covering the world of restaurants and food, his nut graphs are super nutty.
Most major American cities offer hundreds of pizza options, but the Chicago market is even tougher as the city is saturated with an abundance of different styles including its two most popular — deep dish and tavern style.
Not everyone loves those names, but those names have stuck. Blame marketing and new residents who latch on to those terms as a means to distinguish Chicago’s pizzas from the pies they grew up eating. Still, in a saturated pizza market, branding is one aspect that helps customers feel their pizza choices are superior. Of course, no amount of marketing can save a sad pie. Pizza Hut learned that this summer when it launched its Chicago tavern-crust pizza. It’s still around, despite universal admonishment…