Pizza pioneers: Robert and Dana Garvey dish up Streeterville staple

For nearly two years now, husband and wife Dana and Robert Garvey of Robert’s Pizza and Dough Co. have run the Streeterville restaurant on 465 N McClurg Court along the river, serving artisan thin crust pies to loyal locals and traveling tourists.

As a kid from New York, Robert grew up in a city where pizza by the slice is on every corner. 

Robert and Dana moved to Chicago in the late ‘90’s, both working in the hospitality industry before opening up their restaurant. Although pizza  was also big in Chicago at the time, Robert noticed something missing. 

“When I moved here there was not a pizzeria on every corner or even pizza by the slice which is what I was used to back in New York,” Robert explained. “People ask me, ‘why did you get into the pizza business?’ My response is, ‘because we were hungry.’” 

Robert’s Pizza is known for its New York-Neapolitan hybrid thin crust with a crunchy heel that “cracks not breaks,” Dana said, comparing eating a slice of the restaurant’s pizza to “taking a journey,” with each bite bringing a unique texture, flavor and experience to the customer. 

The inspiration behind this journey the Garveys long to recreate through their dough can be found throughout the interior of the restaurant. Fifty-five polaroids taken from Robert and Dana’s road trip travels hang on a wall inside, while colors and other elements from the photos inspired the overall adventurous, yet chill, at-home vibe Dana wanted to share with their customers. 

The couple’s home is just a few blocks away from the restaurant, and Robert, a former marine engineer, recalls using his kitchen as a “laboratory,” spending multiple hours a day experimenting with different recipes in search of the best crust. After much deconstruction and experimentation, Robert became obsessed with perfecting his recipe.

Robert’s quest went outside of his lab, however, as he would take his pizza to the streets, passing out pizza slices in front of the Drake Hotel using late-night pedestrians as test subjects. At one point, Robert would even invite strangers into his home for pizza and wine to get the full review. 

With the help of Dana, his family, friends and even strangers along the way, Robert seemed, much like his crust, to have “cracked” the code to the perfect pizza. 

With a background in engineering, how did this come in handy in terms of perfecting your pizza?

Robert: As an engineer, I’m constantly checking temperatures: room temperatures, equipment temperatures, rebuilding things, etc., so when I was developing this recipe, I was focusing on that heel of the crust; I wanted that perfect crunch-chew quality in the dough. I bought all kinds of high tech thermometers for my pizza, making sure to see how long it took to heat the oven, how long the bricks stay hot, how much the temperature of the brick was reduced when I put a pizza on top, and so forth… I just constantly checked these things.

Instead of measuring my ingredients, I would weigh my water, flour, etc., so it was very precise as I was working on the recipe, as I changed things, I could change them very precisely, and get reactions from everything, such as how the dough would respond and then be able to correct it. 

What differentiates Robert’s Pizza from other Chicago pizza joints? 

Robert: Chicago is known for the deep dish and the tavern, which is very thin, almost cracker-like. Ours is kind of a hybrid of a New York style, Neapolitan.  It's very much an artisan handmade product where a lot of thought and care goes into it. It’s different than the style Chicago is known for, but I think at the same time, it’s ultimately a really good pizza, and I think that’s why we’re successful here. I think the other pizzas are terrific pizzas but I think we’re just offering something different here. 

Dana, while Robert was the engineer behind the overall crust concept, what would you say your biggest contribution to Robert’s Pizza & Dough Co. is besides handling business and operations? 

Dana: My contribution to the portfolio of pizzas is the Charcuterie Pizza, where an assortment of fine meats and cheeses, olives and jam sit atop a thin crust cut in squares and baked in olive oil to be used as a cracker. It pairs well with a rose or a white wine. 

What is your favorite part about running a business?

Dana: Being able to have all of these parts come together to create an experience; that’s very satisfying. Create an experience that helps improve somebody’s day hopefully or is perhaps transformative. Say someone tries something they never had before and they love it, that’s really cool. Creating an environment where people want to go and hang out, that’s really cool. 

How is it working together as husband and wife? 

Robert: It’s been a great experience and has only strengthened our relationship. We have worked together all of our lives.

Dana: We’ve been partners in a variety of projects over the course of our 30-something years together. I mean, we’ve been together since college. Our life has been episodic — there’s been a chapter for each project in our lives.