Chicago Style Pizza in Orem: How a Tech Exec's Homesickness Brought Utah's First Real Deep Dish to University Place

There's a moment that happens in every transplant's life when homesickness hits hardest. For Mike Sonnenberg, a Chicago native and co-founder of Lindon-based tech company Awardco, that moment came during yet another family pizza night in Utah County. "Every time we do pizza," his wife Heidi recalls, "we always say, 'We wish we had a Rosati's here.'"

That longing wasn't just for any pizza. It was for the real thing—the Chicago-style deep dish pizza Mike grew up with, the kind with a buttery flaky crust that takes 45 minutes to bake because it goes through the oven twice. The kind where sauce sits on top of mounds of mozzarella, just like it's supposed to. The kind Utah had never seen before.

Now, after opening in November 2025 at University Place in Orem, Rosati's Pizza has ended what one food critic called Utah's "deep dish desert." And the response? As co-owner Katie Jacobson puts it, customers fall into two camps: "Either they're so excited because they've never had it before, or they have had it before and they can't wait to have it again."

From Awardco Boardrooms to Pizza Ovens: The Unlikely Journey to Utah's First Chicago Deep Dish

The path from executive suite to pizza franchise started, improbably enough, on a pizza box. During a family trip to Arizona, Heidi spotted franchise contact information printed on a Rosati's box. Without telling Mike, she fired off a text. The response surprised her—Rosati's corporate had been eyeing Utah for expansion and jumped at the chance to work with locals who understood the market.

But the Sonnenbergs had a problem. Mike was deep into building Awardco, and Heidi was managing their household of three kids. The bandwidth just wasn't there. That's when Heidi mentioned the opportunity to her friend Katie Jacobson, whose husband Erik works as a criminal defense attorney. Erik saw it as the perfect creative outlet. "I deal with high-conflict individuals in crisis, and though I am fulfilled with my work, it gets heavy and hard. When Katie mentioned this lunch conversation, I thought it sounded amazing."

The two couples partnered up, and before making any commitments, they did their homework. "I think we've tried every pizza place in Utah County, and we know that we're going to be different," Erik says. They weren't wrong. While Via 313 brought Detroit-style deep dish and The Pie offers thick-crust options, authentic Chicago-style deep dish—with its trademark buttery crust, cheese-first layering, and sauce-on-top construction—simply didn't exist anywhere in Utah.

The Chicago Style Pizza Experience: What Makes Rosati's Deep Dish Different

Walk into Rosati's at University Place and the first thing you notice is the sports bar atmosphere—mounted TVs, 60-seat dining room, the buzz of BYU students and families. The second thing you notice is the smell. And the third thing? People waiting. Sometimes 45 minutes. On BYU football Saturdays? An hour or more.

That wait isn't a bug—it's a feature. Chicago-style deep dish pizza at Rosati's goes through a double-oven process that you simply can't rush. The pan-cooked, buttery crust gets baked first with the cheese layer, then goes back in for a second round to heat the chunky tomato sauce that sits on top. It's this exact preparation method that earned Rosati's the #1 Best Chicago Pizza award from WGN, Chicago's largest radio station.

My pizza was quite tasty. It was more substantial—in other words, filling—than I was expecting, wrote Salt Lake Tribune food critic Sean P. Means after trying the create-your-own deep dish with onions, sliced tomatoes, and olives. And here's insider knowledge from customer reviews: when the menu says a 10-inch serves two to three people, believe it. Means and his dining companion ordered the 14-inch and took half home.

But here's what might surprise you—while everyone comes for the deep dish, locals say you should also try Rosati's thin crust pizza, known in Chicago circles as "Chicago's Greatest Thin Crust™." "People say you come to Rosati's first for the deep-dish, but you come back for Chicago's Greatest Thin Crust Pizza," Katie explains. It's got that signature light, flaky, crispy texture that's become legendary in the Windy City.

Then there's The Cheef—Rosati's famous Italian beef sandwich. Thinly sliced beef piled high on Italian bread, smothered with melted mozzarella cheese. It's Chicago comfort food at its finest, the kind of sandwich that requires napkins and zero shame. At around $10.49, it's become a lunch favorite for University Place shoppers and BYU students looking for something more substantial than standard campus fare.

And don't skip the dough nuggets. These bite-sized pieces of crispy pizza dough get tossed in garlic butter sauce and served with marinara for dipping. They're the kind of appetizer that disappears before your pizza even arrives.

Five Generations of Chicago Pizza Tradition Come to Utah Valley

Rosati's isn't some upstart trying to capitalize on deep dish trends. This is a family legacy that stretches back to 1927, when Saverio Rosati opened a restaurant in downtown Chicago that became a hangout for old Chicago society and Windy City politicians. His sons Dick, Ron, and Al eventually moved the concept to the suburbs, and by 1964, they'd opened the first Rosati's pizzeria in Mount Prospect, Illinois.

The family's pizza-making tradition actually goes back even further—to Ferdinand Rosati, an Italian immigrant from Naples who originally served pizza as a special offering to customers at his fine-dining restaurant. Back then, pizza was strictly old-world Italian fare, just tomato sauce on crisp bread. But people loved it, and the Rosati family turned that simple offering into a pizza empire that now spans 130+ locations across twenty states.

What makes their recipe special? It's all about those original family recipes passed down through five generations. The sauce is made fresh daily using a blend of tomatoes and spices that's remained unchanged since the beginning. The dough preparation creates that distinctive buttery, flaky texture. And the layering—cheese first, then toppings, then sauce on top—follows authentic Chicago tradition.

Bringing Chicago Pizza to Utah County (With a Few Local Adjustments)

The Orem location isn't just a carbon copy of Chicago Rosati's, though. The owners made two strategic decisions to align with Utah Valley culture. First, they're closed on Sundays. "We are not going to be open on Sundays, and we are hoping that will appeal to the workforce since there will always be a day off," Heidi explains. Second, they're alcohol-free—a sports bar atmosphere without the bar, creating what they call a truly family-friendly space.

The University Place location at 775 E. University Parkway was chosen strategically. It sits in the heart of Orem's shopping district, with easy access for BYU and UVU students, families, and the game-day crowd. "Utah is an interesting market because it's very family-friendly and there are a lot of universities. You've got people wanting to eat out, but you've also got catering opportunities," Heidi notes.

That fast-casual model means you order at the counter but get sit-down quality in a comfortable dining room. It's the sweet spot between grab-and-go and traditional table service—perfect for college students on a budget, families with kids, and anyone who wants quality food without the wait of fine dining (though you will wait for that deep dish, and it's worth every minute).

Planning Your Visit to Rosati's Pizza Orem

Location: 775 E. University Parkway, Orem, UT 84097 (inside University Place)

Hours:

• Monday-Thursday: 11am-9pm
• Friday-Saturday: 11am-10pm
• Closed Sundays

What to Order: For first-timers: Start with a 10-inch Chicago-style deep dish (feeds 2-3) and add the dough nuggets as an appetizer. Trust the menu on portion sizes—deep dish is seriously filling.

For the impatient: Try the thin crust pizza or The Cheef sandwich—both ready much faster than deep dish.

For the adventurous: Create your own deep dish with toppings like gourmet Italian sausage, mushrooms, and Rosati's hot giardiniera for an authentic Chicago kick.

Insider Tips:

• Call ahead on BYU game days—wait times can exceed an hour during football season
• The 14-inch deep dish is massive; even big appetites often take half home
• Deep dish takes 45-60 minutes, so plan accordingly or order ahead
• Parking is plentiful at University Place

Connect: Find them on Instagram for specials and updates

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For sixty years, Rosati's has represented authentic Chicago pizza tradition. Now, thanks to a tech exec's homesickness and two local couples willing to take the leap, Utah Valley finally has access to the real thing. "We want to create this culture that feels welcoming, inviting and long-term," Katie says. And after tasting what they're bringing to Orem, it's clear they're not just filling a gap in Utah's pizza scene—they're creating a new chapter in the state's food story, one buttery, sauce-topped slice at a time.