Buddy's Pizza

Background

Buddy's story starts in 1936, when Gus Guerra opened Buddy's Rendezvous on Conant Street in Detroit as a speakeasy. It wasn't until 1946 that the place found its real success: Guerra and his wife Anna, using her family recipe, created what became Detroit-style pizza. Long-time employee Connie Piccinato helped refine the recipe, a regional variation of Sicilian sfincione. The key to the pizza's special crust was the blue steel pans Guerra got from local factories—originally made as automotive drip trays or small parts bins.

In 1953, Guerra sold Buddy's Rendezvous and opened the Cloverleaf Bar in Eastpointe, Michigan (then East Detroit), where he kept serving the square pizza. The original Buddy's location was bought around 1972 by William "Billy" Jacobs because his wife Shirlee liked the pizza. Their son Robert Jacobs took over, expanded the chain, and in 2019 sold it to private equity group Capital Spring. Today, Buddy's has 19 restaurants across Michigan, adding two more locations in 2022 in Okemos and Clarkston.