Tavern-style pizza is a type ofpizza that has both a crust firm enough to have a noticeable crunch and slices cut into squares, as opposed to wedges.[1][2][3]
The name "tavern-style" comes from the pizzas originally served in taverns, often as an enticement to drink alcohol. This origin in taverns is also linked to the pizza's shape, as the square shape of the slices made it possible for taverns that did not have plates to instead set them on napkins.[4] Residents ofMilwaukee[5][6][7] and ofChicago[1][8][9] each claim to have originated the style in the 1940s.
As of 2013[update], according toGrubhub data and the company Chicago Pizza Tours, thin-crust pizza outsells the more widely knowndeep-dish style among locals, with GrubHub stating that deep-dish comprises only 9% of its pizza deliveries.[10][11] In response, Technomics food industry researcher Darren Tristano questioned GrubHub's conclusion on the basis of the delivery service's user demographics, saying that its younger users cannot afford deep-dish pizza, whileNPR noted that the data would not include information on two particular chains specializing in the style (though with just 20 restaurants in the city of 2.7million) that are not on GrubHub.[10]
