A BELOVED deep-dish pizzeria chain will soon be closing its final location.
The iconic restaurant is set to shutter after more than 50 years in business.
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My Pi, a Chicago deep-dish style pizzeria, announced Thursday that it will permanently close its last remaining location.
The final My Pi outpost in the Bucktown neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois will be closing in June.
Known for its rich history and loyal fans, My Pi – stylized as My Π – has been a staple in the city since it first opened in 1971.
The pizzeria, founded by Larry Aronson, quickly gained recognition for its distinctive style and rich tomato sauce.
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“He studied and experimented with tomatoes that were not as acidic and he developed a ‘spice pack’ that would enhance the flavor of the tomatoes on his pizza,” Larry’s son Richard Aronson said on My Pi’s website.
Larry, a fourth-generation baker and successful businessman, launched the first My Pi location across from Loyola University.
The brand expanded rapidly, opening more than 20 locations across nine states.
It became one of the first Chicago deep-dish chains to operate outside of Illinois.
“We introduced deep-dish beyond Illinois, opened 25 locations across nine states, and shared our family recipe with generations of pizza lovers,” Richard Aronson and the My Pi family wrote in a farewell post on Instagram.
“Your support means the world to us.”
Many Chicagoans still fondly remember the Lincoln Park location, which opened in 1978 and became a neighborhood favorite.
“The dimly lit space featured a salad bar in the center, and an enclave hiding two arcade video games,” recalled Ashok Selvam of Eater.
By the mid-1980s, My Pi had locations in places as far as Florida, Colorado, New York, and Connecticut.
Some of the restaurants were franchises, while others were family-run.
The Bucktown location has been My Pi’s last standing restaurant since the Lincoln Park shop closed in 2008.
My Pi has been known for its artisanal Wisconsin cheeses, house-made sausage, and vegan menu options.
As such, the chain maintained a fiercely loyal customer base through the years.
On its website, the restaurant touts a dough recipe passed down through generations and a commitment to ingredients like San Marzano-style tomatoes and fresh primal-cut meat.
“Come by for one last bite and help us say goodbye the best way we know how — over great pizza,” Richard Aronson wrote.
My Pi will continue accepting nationwide shipping orders through June 22, and its final day of service is expected later that month.