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Taverns in Chicago came up with it to entice patrons to stay and drink more alcohol.

But we don't call it tavern style. I first heard that term down here. To us, it's just pizza.

Do you not agree with my assertion?

Mostly? Sure. 

Most Chicagoans, when eating pizza, will not go for deep dish most of the time. It's too heavy and rich. It's not an every day food. Tavern style is definitely better for that.

However, there's a reason that Lou Malnati's locations all over the Chicagoland area are typically full. It's not JUST tourists. Deep dish is still delicious. 

We don't have to pick one vs the other. Both are good. One is just much more enjoyed in moderation... 

And IF you want a thicker crust that is not a gut bomb, you must go to Burt's Place. He calls(ed) it pan pizza. Not terribly thick dough and the cheese melts and caramelizes to the side of the pan. It's really good. You can order it with half dough too.

Way more toppings than dough.

my order was for a tourist, not a transplant 

Yes, of course. Nobody orders the deep dish. That's not, of course, the signature dish of the entire restaurant.

And Lou's mail order sales? Clearly there are no transplanted Chicagoans ordering deep dish from Lou's... Because Chicagoans don't even eat it. Must be tourists... Or something.

Where did I type that? I'd like to see it in a quote.

help me understand this.. I feel like Lou's and Giordano's often get dumped on for being touristy and locals don't eat it. I've had Giordano's twice, as a tourist, and loved it.. I'm a huge deep dish fan and to this day nothing has compared to it in my book.. There was one here in Akron, Ohio for a while and closed down and i was crushed when they closed it.

Nothing can compare to it, for sure.

I'm gonna guess that there are 20-30 or so joints in the Chicago area that feature it, compared to the 2,000 pizza joints who do not.

Some of those 2000 do offer it, but it's not a specialty.

Giordano's (many locations)
Lou's (many locations)
Uno (many locations)
Burt's * (2 locations)
Pequod's * (2 locations)
Gino's East (4 locations)
?? little guys with one store

* Pan pizza - very good

Nothing can compare to it, for sure.

I'm gonna guess that there are 20-30 or so joints in the Chicago area that feature it, compared to the 2,000 pizza joints who do not.

Some of those 2000 do offer it, but it's not a specialty.

Giordano's (many locations)
Lou's (many locations)
Uno (many locations)
Burt's * (2 locations)
Pequod's * (2 locations)
Gino's East (4 locations)
?? little guys with one store

* Pan pizza - very good

BTW I will die on the hill that anything branded as "Pizzeria Uno" outside of the original Pizzeria Uno on Wabash and Ohio, and Pizzeria Due on Wabash and Ontario, are imposters and not even remotely representative of what Chicago deep dish should be. Nothing about the franchised version is authentic, and I'm convinced it's not even the same recipe. Even the ones in the Chicago suburbs are trash. 

In fact, over many years of returning, I was almost ready to throw the original Pizzeria Uno out as well, as it seemed to be slowly declining in quality every couple of years I was there--but when I took my wife and son last September, they redeemed themselves. It was back to what I remember back on the 90s.