Lou Malnati’s responds to insult that ‘Emily in Paris’ dished out

The new Netflix series “Emily in Paris” has dished out a “heartless” jab at Chicago’s beloved Lou Malnati’s pizza. And the iconic deep dish pizza chain’s owner is not tres amused.

In the 10-episode series from “Sex and the City” creator Darren Star that debuted last Friday, Lily Collins stars as Emily Cooper, a twentysomething Chicago marketing whiz who moves to Paris for a new job opportunity. During a conversation about all things Chicago, one her French colleagues likens Chicago-style deep dish pizza to “a quiche made of cement,” which prompts Emily to quip, “you must have gone to Lou Malnati’s.”

That did not sit so well with the iconic Chicago pizza maker.

“We’ve been serving Chicago’s favorite deep dish since 1971. When Netflix’s ‘Emily in Paris’ writers chose to take a shot at Chicagoans and our pizza to try to get a laugh, it felt heartless and not humorous in the midst of Covid-19,” owner Marc Malnati said in a statement Wednesday.

When reached by phone later in the day, Malnati, who said he was taking it all in stride, expanded on his comments. “I just couldn’t believe it when I saw the clip,” he said with a slight chuckle. “We’re used to having deep dish pizza slapped around in public. And no one here has thin skin. We’ll all take pot shots at someone from New York [over New York-style pizza]. That’s playful banter. But when [Collins] singles us out that way after a guy criticizes Chicago pizza, I was like, are you kidding me?”

In 2013, Malnati famously “feuded” with talk show host Jon Stewart over Chicago-versus-New York-style pizza. In the end, a truce was called; Stewart even called the deep dish pizza “quite good.” Mayor Rahm Emanuel at the time also got in on the fun with a “dead fish” deep dish pizza delivered to “The Daily Show” studios.

All kidding aside, Malnati said the “Emily in Paris” jab came at a very difficult time for the restaurant industry.

“This is a very special time in the world where restaurants are doing everything to keep their doors open,” Malnati said. “It was just very poor taste. You go for a cheap laugh at our expense like that. It doesn’t only affect me if people believe [what was said] on TV. But we ship pizza all over the country. If people who are not our customers believe it, that affects a lot of people [here]. ... We’ve been pretty blessed [at Malnati’s]; we haven’t been crushed by COVID because we’re used to pickup and delivery and shipment. But we still had to lay off a lot of people.” The chain is closing in on 60 locations across the area.

Malnati’s was not the only Chicago institution singled out; Cubs fans were also the target of some less than flattering jabs.

STEPHANIE BRANCHU/NETFLIX

And French TV critics are noting their displeasure with all the Parisian cliches the show portrays. “Dream apartment with a view over a leafy square. Drinks parties and designer outfits. Roses, handsome Frenchmen who kiss your hand … We haven’t seen so many cliches about the French capital since the Paris episodes of ‘Gossip Girl’ or the end of ‘The Devil Wears Prada,’” one French radio outlet noted.

“I’m all for good fun, but I don’t love that deep dish pizza has become a punching bag in this way at this time,” Malnati continued. “I want good will toward everyone now. Now’s the time we really need to support one another and support local businesses everywhere.”