What's Really in Your Pizza? Inside Spinato's Family Kitchen and the Local Vendors Behind Every Pie

Ask most people what's actually in their pizza and you'll get a shrug, maybe a guess about "flour and stuff." Our founder, Ken Spinato, opened the doors in 1974, and his son Anthony, who now runs things as CEO, still describes the whole idea behind Spinato's as simply "how we would take care of you if you came to our home for a meal." Fifty-plus years later, that starts with the crust: a Chicago tavern-style dough made with flour from an Arizona mill, not a nationwide supplier we can't name.

Quick Answer

Spinato's serves Chicago tavern-style pizza: a thin, crisp, cracker-style crust cut into squares and finished with our signature sweet sauce. That crust starts with locally milled flour from Hayden Flour Mills, an Arizona company, instead of a generic national supplier.

What Is Chicago Tavern-Style Pizza, and Why Does Spinato's Serve It?

Deep-dish gets all the fame: tall, dramatic, a pizza you basically need a fork and a nap for. Tavern-style is the quiet overachiever. It's a thin, sturdy crust rolled edge to edge, baked crisp enough to survive a topping avalanche, and cut into small squares instead of wedges. Chicagoans call it the "party cut," because that's exactly what it was built for: a party, a crowd, a table that can't agree on much else.

That's the crust Spinato's has served for over 50 years, finished with a signature sweet sauce that's basically part of the family by now. If sweet isn't your thing, we won't take it personally: order marinara, tomato basil, vodka, or pesto instead. Comfort food, not a trend chasing its own tail.

Why Does Spinato's Source Its Flour From Hayden Flour Mills?

We could have bought flour out of a catalog from anywhere in the country. Instead, we partner with Hayden Flour Mills, an Arizona company that mills heritage grains locally, for the flour that goes into our dough.

That choice is less about a marketing line and more about the basics: a shorter path from mill to dough means fresher flour, and buying from an Arizona mill means the ingredient at the center of every pie is one we can actually point to and explain. It also means that when you order a Chicago tavern-style pizza at Spinato's, you're quietly supporting another Arizona business right along with us.

Key Takeaways

• Spinato's pizza is Chicago tavern-style: thin, crisp, cut into squares, finished with our signature sweet sauce.

• The dough starts with flour from Hayden Flour Mills, an Arizona mill, instead of a generic national supplier.

• Sauce substitutes (marinara, tomato basil, vodka, pesto) are available for guests who want to go off-script.

• Spinato's was founded by Ken Spinato in 1974; his son Anthony now leads the company as CEO.

FAQ

What makes tavern-style pizza different from deep-dish pizza?

Tavern-style pizza has a thin, crisp crust cut into squares, while deep-dish is baked in a pan with tall, thick edges. Tavern-style is actually more common in everyday Chicago dining and built for sharing.

Why does Spinato's use Hayden Flour Mills flour?

Hayden Flour Mills is an Arizona company that mills heritage grains locally. Sourcing from them keeps the flour in Spinato's dough fresher and traceable to a specific local source, instead of an unnamed national supplier.

Is Spinato's a chain or a local business?

Spinato's is local and Arizona-grown, founded by Ken Spinato in 1974 and now run by his son Anthony as CEO. Since October 2025, it's also been an employee stock ownership plan (ESOP), making the team 49% employee-owned.

Come Taste the Difference

Order a Chicago tavern-style pizza at your nearest Spinato's in Scottsdale, Gilbert, Tempe, Ahwatukee, North Phoenix, or Central Phoenix

Or grab a table for the group and let us handle the debate.