Buddy's Pizza, the iconic Detroit chain, sold to local investors
Founded 80 years ago, a group of local investors announced in a Friday news release the acquisition of the iconic Detroit-born brand from CapitalSpring.
The group is led by local entrepreneurs Saber Ammori, Andrew Dickow and Kevin Denha, all of whom say they grew up with the Buddy’s brand, viewing it as a “defining part of Detroit's cultural identity,” as well as the city itself.
"For us, this is deeply personal," said Andrew Dickow, one of the group's principals, who, as kid, remembers grabbing a slice. “The crust had that unmistakable crunch, the pizza felt premium in a way nothing else did, and it was the highlight of my day. Buddy's has always been more than a meal. It is a part of Detroit's fabric, and for a lot of us, it is tied to family, tradition, and memory."A primary focus, the group said, will be to bring Buddy’s back home and protect its legacy with an emphasis on those supporters who have built the brand over decades in metro Detroit and reinforce it.
"Our goal is not to change what makes Buddy's special, but to reinforce it. That starts with our employees, our commitment to authentic Detroit-style pizza, and delivering the level of customer service that our guests have come to expect from a brand with this kind of heritage,” said Ammori in a news release.
Ammori founded Birmingham-based Ammori Equity Partners (AEP) and is also its managing partner. He is the chief executive officer and co-founder of Wireless Vision. Ammori’s AEP, according to its website, has partnerships with other retail businesses including a chain of car washes, fitness and snack foods.
Buddy's pizza is known for its square pizzas with thick crusts, crisp and caramelized edges with sauce drizzled atop the cheese.
Investor Kevin Denha said acquiring Buddy’s is not just a transaction.
"It is a commitment to being good stewards of something that matters to Detroit,” Denha stated in a news release. “We are excited to work alongside the current team to protect what makes Buddy's special, and to focus on the areas that bring the brand closer to its best. Great hospitality, consistency, authenticity, and a product that lives up to the name.”
Denha is president and CEO of Vision Investment Partners, based in Birmingham.
While the group’s plan includes building on Buddy’s Pizza in-restaurant experience, its new owners plan to expand its presence in the frozen pizza grocery aisle.
"We see a meaningful opportunity to thoughtfully grow our frozen pizza offering so customers across the country can enjoy the same product experience that has made Buddy's a Detroit staple for nearly 80 years,” said Dickow. We are committed to doubling down on quality and authenticity and staying true to what the brand stands for."
Dickow is a managing director and president of Greenwich Capital Group. He specializes in mergers and acquisitions, according to the group's website and leads the Food and Beverage and Consumer/Retail practice.
Buddy’s Pizza has more than a dozen metro Detroit locations and is known for its rectangular pizzas, with crispy caramelized cheese edges and sauce on top.
It was 1946 when then-owner Gus Guerra of Buddy’s Rendezvous on Six Mile and Conant made his first square-shaped pizza. The pizza was baked in dark steel pans that were used in the automotive industry. Buddy’s Pizza is known for its thick crust, featuring crispy caramelized cheese edges with sauce on top.In early 2018, Buddy’s Pizza announced that it had partnered with private investment firm CapitalSpring, setting its sights on growing the brand.
The original Buddy's Pizza is located on Conant Street at McNichols Road in Detroit.
At that time, 12 Buddy’s Pizza locations dotted metro Detroit. CapitalSpring’s plan, according to a news release announcing the partnership, was to fast-track the chain's growth across the Midwest. In spring 2018, a Buddy’s outpost at the Detroit Zoo opened, marking its 13th location. Starting in 2019, Buddy’s locations were announced or opened from downtown to downriver and from Plymouth to Grand Rapids.
Opening in Grand Rapids marked Buddy’s first location beyond metro Detroit.
By 2022, Buddy’s numbered more than 20 locations with a mix of carryout and full-service restaurants.
Detroit-style pizza's local and national rise
Over the years, the accolades, attention and rankings on best pizza lists, both nationally and worldwide, rolled in for the chain.
Long honored as an iconic Detroit brand, the pizza chain has its own day. Since 2011, June 23 has been known as Buddy's Pizza Day, named by then-Detroit Mayor Dave Bing.
While Detroit-style pizza was created at Buddy’s 80 years ago, the overall style of pizza with crispy edges hit the national spotlight around 2019, when a February 2019 Esquire magazine article cited Detroit-style pizza as a nationwide trend.
“From coast to coast, pizza pros nationwide are baking up their version of the Motor City’s crispy, cheesy-crusted deep dish, and for good reason: It's ridiculously delicious," according to the article.
Over the years, various restaurants specializing in Detroit-style pizza have popped up in the metro area and mainstays have expanded. Pizzerias showcasing Detroit-style pizza also made their mark in other states, including New York and California. There's Via 313 in Austin, Texas, opened in 2011 by former Detroiters and brothers Zane and Brandon Hunt, whose pizza, according to their website at the time "...is inspired by our memories of traditional Detroit-Style pies from our youths (Cloverleaf, Buddy’s, Loui’s, Niki’s).
While financial details were not disclosed, First Merchants Bank worked with the group on providing financing for the acquisition, according to a news release.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
Contact Detroit Free Press food and restaurant writer Susan Selasky and send food and restaurant news and tips to: [email protected]. Follow her on X, formerly Twitter: @SusanMariecooks. Subscribe to the Eat Drink Freep newsletter for insider scoops on food and dining in metro Detroit.
