Chicago's storied deep-dish chain Lou Malnati's is bringing a full-service restaurant to St. Charles, opening a 6,200-square-foot pizzeria at 3050 E. Main St. this fall and hiring 100 employees to staff it. The new location will be the company's 71st, adding a full-service restaurant in the western suburbs.
The restaurant is set to open in the Fox Haven Square development on the east end of St. Charles, according to NBC 5 Chicago. CEO Julie Younglove-Webb said Lou Malnati's had received requests from St. Charles customers to open a location there for years, and that growth and redevelopment on the east end of the city made the timing appropriate. The building the pizzeria is moving into previously housed an On The Border Mexican Grill & Cantina, according to local reporting cited by Patch.
A Sit-Down Concept Replaces Years of Carryout-Only Service
The St. Charles restaurant will feature a full dining room, a full-service bar, a private dining area, and an outdoor patio. The station's report on the opening notes the eatery will offer carry-out and delivery in addition to sit-down service, giving Fox Valley customers a dine-in option for the brand.
The St. Charles location will occupy an existing former restaurant space, according to Tri-Cities Central. That same outlet reports the finished space is designed to seat approximately 200 to 218 guests across its indoor dining rooms, private event space, bar, and patio — giving a clear sense of the scale St. Charles diners can expect once the doors open.
Hiring Push Targets 100 Workers Across Every Role
Lou Malnati's plans to hire bartenders, servers, cooks, and phone staff at all experience levels ahead of the opening. Walk-in interviews are scheduled Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., running from Sept. 14 through Oct. 2, at the Courtyard Marriott St. Charles, 700 Courtyard Drive. Job candidates are asked to bring a resume along with proof of authorization to work in the United States.
Fox Haven Square's Bigger Bet on the East Side
The pizzeria will anchor a corner of Fox Haven Square, a $22 million, 7.5-acre commercial and entertainment development near East Main Street and North Kirk Road that offers roughly 70,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space across four buildings, according to Shaw Local. The development also features high-profile tenants including BG Hospitality Group's Fire + Wine, Rosebud Steakhouse, and a two-story barn-inspired pickleball complex with rooftop courts and dining. Hoodline previously covered the Fire + Wine opening nearby, part of the same wave of new restaurants filling out the square.
St. Charles city leaders have pointed to east-side commercial development like Fox Haven Square as a way to revitalize the corridor following the decline and closure of the nearby Charlestowne Mall nearly a decade ago, Shaw Local reports. Municipal officials and private developers have invested heavily in the project as a replacement for economic momentum the city lost when the mall faded.
A Milestone Opening for a 55-Year-Old Chicago Institution
Lou Malnati's was founded on March 17, 1971, in Lincolnwood, Illinois, by Lou and Jean Malnati, and the chain celebrated its 55th anniversary in March 2026 with 70 regional and out-of-state locations, according to RestaurantNews.com. The St. Charles restaurant becomes the company's 71st. Younglove-Webb, a former Auntie Anne's and Domino's executive, was named CEO in June 2025 to lead the chain's multistate expansion strategy, per Nation's Restaurant News. The company's anniversary account focuses on its locations and expansion strategy.
The expansion comes as Lou Malnati's has also been reshaping its footprint elsewhere in the region. Hoodline reported in May that the chain is closing its Gold Coast Chicago location due to a lease expiration while continuing delivery service there. The new Lou Malnati's hiring push will bring up to 100 potential jobs to St. Charles.
