AVONDALE — In a once-in-a-lifetime savings deal, Lou Malnati’s storefronts throughout Chicago are offering customers their choice of COVID-19 Vaccine upon the purchase of 10 mid-size pies.
“Moderna, Pfizer, even that new Johnson & whoever, we’ve got them all in the back,” said store manager Drew Novak, 29, while saucing a deep dish. “So even picky eaters will be able to find something on our menu that suits their tastes, shot-wise.”
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The vaccine deal, still in its beta-testing stage at various shops in the greater Chicago area, expanded off a previous deal offering 10% off the next order after the purchase of 10 large pizzas. “The twist was that the deal expired after six months,” Novak offered with a generous wink. “A lot of people will order pizza ten times in six months. But from us? And a large every time? I don’t think so. But the deal sounds good, so corporate worked with that to incorporate the whole pandemic angle.”
The vaccine deal, marketed in-store through posters and word-of-mouth, has quickly grown popular with customers in the know. “Lou Malnati’s, that’s a chain where I go in the store and say ‘sure,’” said patron Ali Ibrahim, 32. “But knowing that this is the fastest path to a vaccine? Well, that’s turned my ‘sure’ into an enthusiastic ‘why not!’”
The vials of vaccine, stored in the shop freezers generally reserved for dough and sauce scobys, are being disseminated to qualifying customers along with a chocolate chip cookie upon payment. “We give people the option of getting the shot here or bringing the vaccine home and enjoying a night in with it,” said Novak. “I wiped down one of the chairs in the back and that’s been command central. I’m giving shots left and right! It’s pretty wild! But I guess there’s no such thing as a normal day at work at Lou Malnati’s.”
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While many customers attempted to negotiate a vaccine after the purchase of only eight or nine pies, most are cooperating with the constraints of the campaign. “People who ordered ‘The Lou’ ten times in a row really seemed to be in it for the love of the game,” noted Novak. “A lot of them wanted to get the shot like eight times, or were trying to game the system by buying ten pies at once on seven different credit cards. Corporate was really interested in hearing about that.”
