Rosati’s Chicago-style, deep-dish pizza has finally arrived in Utah.
The Chicago establishment, known for its thin crust as well as its Chicago deep-dish, recently opened a location in Orem, Utah.
Getting Rosati’s to Utah
Heidi Sonnenberg’s husband Mike is a Chicago native, and whenever they go out of the state of Utah, they would order Rosati’s — at least a couple of times.
Just over a year ago, they were in Arizona on spring break when Sonnenberg noticed a number to text for franchising opportunities. She texted the number and got an immediate response with earnest interest in bringing a location to Utah.
Her husband owns a tech company and she’s the mother of young children, so between the two of them, they didn’t have much time to run a restaurant. That’s where Katie Jacobson and her husband came into the picture.
Jacobson and Sonnenberg went to lunch around this time, and Jacobson mentioned that her husband was feeling burned out at his current job and was thinking of looking into opening a pizza restaurant. It was kismet.
Sonnenberg told Jacobson all about Rosati’s, and the research began. A year and a half later, the two couples opened up Rosati’s in Orem, Utah.
“We’re ready to build a pizza empire,” Jacobson joked.
So far, Utahns are receiving the Chicago-style pizza well.
“We broke some franchise records for sales on the first night,” Sonnenberg said. “We think Utah is loving it and is receiving it well.”
Making connections
Whether it’s someone who served a Latter-day Saint mission in Chicago or someone who moved to the Beehive State from the Windy City, Jacobson observed that Utah has lots of people with Chicago connections.
“We’re getting people from all over the state coming in,” Jacobson said. “It’s amazing how many people have Chicago connections.”
About Rosati’s pizzas
What defines Rosati’s pizza? Sonnenberg says it’s all about the quality and consistency.
“The idea of it always being good, it always tasting the same. No matter when you come, it’s Rosati’s,” Sonnenberg said. “It should taste like Rosati’s.”
The dough is made in-house every day. The sausage is fresh and hand-pulled. Cheese and other ingredients are fresh and piled high so that each slice has an incredible amount of toppings.
“There’s a motto the Rosati’s family has had is ‘Feeding the people since 1964,’” Sonnenberg said. “And what we’ve learned that means is they never want anyone to leave hungry.”
It’s not just pizza. They also serve pasta, salad, wings and sandwiches.
“I think because the menu is not just pizza that people can come try multiple things,” Jacobson said. “We’ve heard great things about the wings and the cannolis and the pasta. You can come order the same thing or you can come try multiple things.”
What I ordered
When I went into the Orem pizza spot, I ordered one of the owner’s (Mike Sonnenberg’s) favorites — thin crust with pepperoni, olives and sausage.
It was delicious, arguably one of the best pizzas I’ve ever had in my life.
I went back to try the deep-dish as well, which is just as cheesy and packed with flavor, as you would imagine. It’s almost akin to a lasagna. Because of all the layers, it takes a while to make the deep-dish, so if you order that, just be prepared to be patient.
In the end, it was the thin crust that got me. I’ve already gone back for more in the short time it’s taken to start and write this story.
“Their deep-dish is amazing, but Rosati’s is actually known for its thin crust,” Sonnenberg said. “It is what people keep coming back for. People come in wanting to try the deep dish and they’ll keep coming back for the thin crust.”
Storefront information
- Address: 775 E. University Pkwy, Orem, Utah 84097
- Hours: Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m.-9 p.m.; Friday through Saturday, 11 a.m.-10 p.m.; Closed Sundays
