Deep dish pizza has enjoyed a romanticized status in Chicago that goes beyond the crust, sauce, and cheese. Since its creation in 1943 at Pizzeria Uno in downtown Chicago, even tourists visiting the city for the first time put a slice of deep dish on their bucket list of things to experience.
In the iconic annals of deep dish, Williams Inn Pizza & Sports Bar stands out for its longevity, legacy, and love. It is a family business that has survived fire, relocation, and the relentless churn of time by staying true to one thing: a unique Chicago deep dish pizza created by Lulu Mae Williams.
“It’s a family-owned business that started in 1969 by my grandmother,” said Jamal Junior, now carrying the torch lit by his grandmother more than half a century ago.
But what separates this colorful and well-curated South Loop hangout from countless other Chicago pizza places? According to Chief Operating Officer Teaunto Stephens, it’s all in the details and authenticity.
“Chicago is a place where pizza is our thing,” Teaunto said with a prideful smile. “But what makes Williams Inn Pizza & Sports Bar unique and special is that we have our own recipes for our dough, our sauce, our own seasoning combination for our meat that we’ve stayed true to since 1969. So, people who knew us back then still continue to come because of the unique, distinctive taste that we have and new people get an authentic Chicago style pizza as well.”
A grandmother’s vision
Lula Mae Williams is remembered with reverence by longtime customers and family members. In 1969, she opened her doors on South Ashland in the heart of the Englewood neighborhood after working at several iconic Chicago pizzerias: Pizzeria Due, Lou Malnati’s, and Gino’s.
“One thing about her, it was always about her family, friendships. She gave an opportunity to people that couldn’t have an opportunity elsewhere,” recalled Jamal. “She made sure if you were hungry, she found a way to give you a meal.”
So, why did Lulu Williams launch a career in Chicago pizza? Even Jamal can’t say for certain.
“I have no idea why pizza,” conceded Jamal. “That’s what she was known for. She had a very unique style. She got in contact with a very good meat purveyor and cultivated her own proprietary sausage blend. And ever since then, we’ve been around selling pizza.”
Lulu ran the business until her passing, but her legacy flourished in her absence despite a few years of challenges. In 2010, a fire destroyed the original Ashland location. For many businesses, that would have been the end. For Jamal, it was a call to action.
“My grandmother ran the business until she passed,” Jamal noted. “A fire happened in 2010. I took over the space in 2012. Opened up a carryout on 87th Street. That space provided the recipes, but it didn’t provide the vibe that Williams Inn was known for. Fast forward to September of 2021. We opened up our present location in the South Loop.
“I tried to make this place similar with the color scheme, the temperature, the lighting and everything,” he explained. “Just a space that people feel comfortable.”
A pizza legacy continues
For Jamal, Williams Inn is far more than a family business. It is a second home, a classroom, and eventually a calling he could not ignore.
“I had a lot of different jobs before settling down and doing this,” Jamal said. “I don’t think anything brought me back. I was always attached to it.”
Jamal’s journey with the Inn reads like a crash course in every corner of the restaurant business.
“As a kid, I started hanging out after school, washing dishes, mopping floors, restocking all the way up into working in the kitchen, cooking, prepping and then bartending,” recalled Jamal. “A little deejaying back in the day, until I became the manager of the location, then the owner.
“Basically, out of all of her grandkids, I was there consistently,” added Jamal. “I was the only grandkid that was totally involved. So naturally, as time progressed, I was looking to take over the space.”
But wanting to take over and actually doing it are two very different things. When the opportunity finally came, it arrived with new challenges.
“I opened up this place during COVID, then the bank reneged on a loan,” Jamal explained. “And so I had to come out of my pocket with a lot (of money). I got a few grants, and that’s how I’m here today.”
Building success with partnership
Running a restaurant alone is often a recipe for burnout, something Jamal understood from watching his grandmother’s tireless commitment her business. He knew that to grow Williams Inn beyond survival mode, he would need help, but with someone who shared his vision and work ethic.
“One thing I did not want to do was to open and close like my grandma did back in the day,” Jamal explained. “I could not be tied down to the location all day. It hinders growth. It hinders all of the things that we need to focus on.
“So, I brought in a trusted friend to help me manage the space,” added Jamal.
Enter Teaunto Stephens, Chief Operating Officer and a man who would become a true partner in the business.
“I spent 15 years in healthcare, and I was very good at what I could do, but I was sitting in my office one day and I was like, ‘this doesn’t really have any purpose or any meaning to me,'” recalled Teaunto. “I want to be a part of an ownership group. I want to be working towards something of owning my own and the idea of building a corporation from the ground up and it being Black owned. I wanted that challenge.”
It was a bold pivot in leaving a secure career, but for Teaunto, the opportunity to be part of a black-owned business, with real potential for growth, was worth the risk.
The partnership works because both men understand that the success of Williams Inn Pizza & Sports Bar rests on more than just good pizza. Their recipe for high achievement boils down to location, atmosphere, and most importantly, inclusivity.
“Although we are a black-owned business, and that’s extremely important for us, but we cater to everyone,” said Teaunto. “Our proximity to the McCormick Place being a block away, there are 5,000 hotel rooms within a block. So, at any given moment in time, we can have an extremely diverse clientele. It’s always been our goal to cater to everyone, not just one particular race or part of the community. It’s the whole community that can come here.”
The South Loop address for Williams Inn is strategic. Nestled near the nation’s busiest convention center, McCormick Place, Williams Inn sits at a crossroads of tourism, business travel, and local neighborhood life.
“The demographic is a lot different,” noted Jamal. “We’re located next to the largest convention center in the country. We have three major hotel brands, so we have a lot of foot traffic here.”
That foot traffic draws conventioneers grabbing a quick slice or sandwich between sessions to families, celebrating birthdays, couples on date nights, and solo diners who want a comfortable seat at a welcoming bar with a cold beer and a game on TV.
“It’s a hangout spot. It’s a place for a romantic date. It’s a place where you can bring the family. It’s a place where you can come by yourself,” said Teaunto, looking around the dining room. “There are over 20-something seats at the bar. We have plugs at the bar, so you can bring your laptop and do some work and enjoy a glass of wine.
“I love seeing the smiles on people’s faces when they take a bite out of our smashburger, or they taste our corned beef sandwich, or they grab one of our wings and that smile that comes across their face, said Teaunto. “Like myself, when I go places and I’m having great food, a smile just comes across my face. Whatever I had going on for that particular day is out of the window, because right now I’m enjoying myself. I’m having a moment of peace, a moment of tranquility. And the food is it.”
The space itself features more than a dozen flat-screens strategically positioned throughout the dining room. It lives up to its billing as a sports bar without sacrificing intimacy.
“It’s a true sports bar. There is not a bad view anywhere you look in the room,” Jamal said. “We focus on all sports teams. We try to advertise and let people know you can come in here and catch a game, have a drink and have a good time.”
Jamal proudly points out how he carefully built out the new space, even selecting the dining room tables, light fixtures and the restaurant’s vibrant orange color scheme.
“When I built this place out, when people walk in here and they leave a review, when they try the food, it gives me a warm feeling,” continued Jamal. “We have cultivated a space that will allow people to come and enjoy fellowship and have a good time.”
A voice for small business
For Teaunto, Williams Inn Pizza & Sports Bar represents more than just a career change. It is a platform to advocate for the countless small businesses that form the backbone of local communities
“To our political friends, we have to make sure to remember that most of these businesses are small businesses,” noted Teaunto. “Most of these businesses are the places where most of your constituents work, where your constituents come to enjoy things. We have to keep that in mind when making laws, and policy.”
Jamal and Teaunto have learned about business the hard way, and they are generous with the wisdom they have accumulated.
“One thing I would let people know is that location is the key and make sure you have your finances in order,” Jamal explained. “Brand your place when you first open. Understand what you have.”
“One piece of advice that I wish I understood more was to exercise a higher level of patience when dealing with people,” added Teaunto with empathy in his voice. “You’re dealing with the public, so you have many people with multiple different personalities. You have people who go to many different restaurants. You have people who are coming to a restaurant for the very first time. You have people who may have been to only one local restaurant in their area, and then they come to a place like this, or they’re used to going to a steakhouse. So, you get everybody in at the same time and sometimes expectations are different. You want to do the best that you can and sometimes it takes an adjustment. So, you have to exercise a level of patience.”
More than a business
Ask Teaunto why he’s proud of Williams Inn Pizza & Sports, and his answer reveals everything about what the restaurant has become under his and Jamal’s leadership.
“I’m very proud of Williams Inn, because it is a space where anyone can come,” shared Teaunto.
For Jamal, pride runs even deeper. This journey in retail is far more than running a successful restaurant. It is an opportunity to honor family who came before him.
“The food is just a rite of passage,” observed Jamal. “It’s a birthright since 1969 that has been instilled in me. I remember all these recipes.
“I love keeping my family legacy going,” Jamal explained. “That’s what I love. That name speaks volumes in the city of Chicago. That blazing sign out there says something.
“Oh, if my grandmother could see this now, she’d be proud,” said Jamal. “There’s nothing about this place would not bring a tear to her eye.”
