Lou Malnati’s Slices Competition with People-First Culture and Insights Data

Location: Buffalo Grove, IL

Industry: Restaurants

Employees: 2500+

Objective

Use employee feedback to drive a people-first culture and competition in Chicago.

Solutions

Workplace Survey, Insights

Results

Actionable insights based on employee feedback that have led to an award-winning culture.

In Chicago, Lou Malnati’s is more than a name synonymous with authentic deep-dish pizza – it’s a family legacy built on strong values and a people-first workplace culture. Founded in the 1940s by Lou Malnati himself, the family-owned business has since been handed down to his sons, Marc and Rick, who continue to uphold the values they learned from their father.

The legacy extends beyond recipes and family ties — it’s deeply embedded in the relationships with employees, who are loyal to Lou’s beyond just a paycheck or a slice of pizza. This commitment is also why the business has won 41+ Top Workplaces awards over the past 15 years.

Earning credible recognition through listening and acting

Winning the Top Workplaces award year after year is no accident for Lou Malnati’s. “We participate in Top Workplaces for two reasons,” said Gabriella Streicher, Director of Employee Engagement. First, we are competitive. We like to compete, and we are very proud of our culture.

The other reason is to keep a finger on how our employees are feeling.” Keeping that pulse is serious business for the Lou Malnati’s team. Employee feedback isn’t simply collected and filed away — it’s the cornerstone of continued growth. “We tell them we want feedback. We want to give and receive feedback from each other,” Gabriella continued. “Then we do something about it.”

Managers and leaders celebrate clear progress with Insights

Recently, survey insights showed the Lou Malnati team needed to improve communications around company direction. Mindy Kaplan, Vice President of Communications, Culture and Customer Experience, explained “We took a number of different actions to communicate direction. It is an area that we made progress in last year versus this year’s survey. An example of…We heard them. We took an action. We’re making progress.”

But the progress doesn’t end there. Gabriella and Mindy also track three Workplace Survey statements in particular, year after year. Lou Malnati’s core values are ‘Care, Grow, Join’. Feedback from the statements “My manager cares about my concerns”, “My manager helps me learn and grow”, and “I would recommend working here” identify opportunities for growth and celebration amongst management.

“We send those results out to managers,” Gabriella said. “Our graphics team creates a super cool poster with ‘Care, Grow, Join’ numbers so our employees actually have a visual.” Survey data and insights are key for collecting that data and ensuring accuracy.

“The return on investment is having a tool where our employees are able to really give us feedback. Then we can take action, so they feel like their voice is important, their voice is heard, and that they make a difference.”

Mindy Kaplan,
Vice President of Communications, Culture and Customer Experience at Lou Malnati’s Pizzeria

Employees are proud to work at Lou Malnati’s

When asked why they’ve been using the Energage platform for so many years, Mindy brought up pride. It’s clear Lou Malnati’s employees enjoy working in a supportive environment where they can see their skills and feedback have a real impact on workplace culture and overall business progress. Regular celebrations reinforce pride for employees and leaders alike.

“It’s feedback specific for each location and department. We can pinpoint exactly what’s going on in each store. I read every single comment. Some of them make me cry, I get touched by how much people love our people and our company.”

Gabriella Streicher,

Director of Employee Engagement at Lou Malnati’s Pizzeria