Popular Chicago pizzeria Lou Malnati’s is planning to expand into Wisconsin, opening carry-out locations and at least one full-service restaurant in the metro Milwaukee area.

“We’re really excited to come to that area and we’ve been looking at some different properties,” said Mindy Kaplan, spokeswoman for the Northbrook, Illinois-based pizza restaurant.

Lou Malnati’s, famous for deep dish pizza since it opened in the Chicago suburbs almost 48 years ago, is seeking a permit from Fox Point for a carry-out and delivery location.

Lou Malnati's would move into the former Pizzanetto restaurant space at 8799 N. Port Washington Road in the Riverpoint Village Shopping Center, according to documents submitted to the Fox Point Plan Commission.

The Fox Point restaurant is expected to open in October. The request was on the agenda for the June 3 plan commission meeting.

"Lou Malnati’s is a legendary Chicago deep dish pizzeria," said Fox Point Village President Douglas H. Frazer. "We are excited that it wants to open its first Wisconsin store in Fox Point. The plan commission and the village board look forward to reviewing the application."

Kaplan said Lou Malnati’s has been looking at a variety of sites around the metro Milwaukee area, such as Brookfield and Milwaukee’s Historic Third Ward.

“I think eventually we’re hoping to have maybe as many as five up in the Milwaukee area,” she said. “Our thought right now is to have at least one restaurant and a number of carry-outs.”

The pizzeria was started in 1971 by Lou Malnati, and today is run by his family and headed by his son, Marc.

Lou Malnati's has 56 locations in the Chicago area and three in Arizona. Sixteen of those locations are full-service restaurants. The company also plans to open a carry-out and delivery pizzeria in northwest Indiana this summer.

“Wisconsin has just always been a big part of what we do,” Kaplan said. “Our cheese comes from Wisconsin dairy farms. We just feel like Milwaukee would be a great market for us.”

Kaplan said depending on what happens with the Fox Point permit, it’s possible a Lou Malnati’s could open somewhere else in metro Milwaukee sooner.

In its Fox Point Plan Commission application, Lou Malnati’s said the carryout and delivery location would be open from 4 to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday. It would have nine employees.

Lou Malnati’s would be the second iconic Chicago eatery to move into Wisconsin in about three years. In 2016, Portillo’s, known for its Italian beef sandwiches and hot dogs, opened its first location in Brookfield. Portillo’s later opened a second restaurant in Greenfield.

Contact Jeff Rumage at (262) 446-6616 or jeff.rumage@jrn.com. Follow him on Twitter at @JeffRumage or Facebook at www.facebook.com/northshorenow.