Nigel Markwart of Livonia is loving his new job.
Markwart is a server at the newest Buddy’s Pizza location on Beck Road in Plymouth Township. He knows there’s a Buddy’s in his hometown, too, but is excited about getting started with this one, which held its grand opening July 16.
“Opening a restaurant is a lot more fun,” Markwart said. “They let you help build it from the ground up.”
The Plymouth Township location is located in a spot that should help it prosper, considering there’s an ice arena, hotels and lots of residential in the area.
The folks at Buddy’s Pizza obviously agree. The birthplace of Detroit-style pizza, Buddy’s brought its award-winning product to Plymouth Township with style.
“We are happy to finally bring authentic Detroit-style pizza to Plymouth,” said Wes Pikula, Chief Brand Officer. “Buddy’s is appreciative of its fans and we’re glad to be able to offer free pizza giveaways to give back to the community.”
Those words are music to the ears of Plymouth Township officials, who welcomed Buddy’s to town believing, obviously, it’s a great location for the popular pizza joint.
“They’re expanding in many locations around the state … they recognize Plymouth Township is a great location for them,” said Plymouth Township Supervisor Kurt Heise.
Heise points out the existence of USA Hockey Arena right down the street, along with the fact that hotels, other businesses and even residences around the area will provide a large piece of clientele for Buddy’s.
Worth the drive
“It’s a very popular brand (of pizza),” Heise pointed out. “That’s an area that’s going to have a lot of families who are looking for a good place to eat.”
Those people have been abundant in Buddy’s early days in Plymouth Township. Beth Lampron of Livonia made the drive to Plymouth rather than eating at the Buddy’s in Livonia. She said the quality of the pizza makes it worth the drive.
“They put the toppings under the sauce,” said Lampron. “It’s pizza done differently.”
Buddy’s is also big into serving the community, something that’s always made Plymouth Township officials sit up and take notice. In Plymouth, Buddy’s will partner with Buddy-to-Buddy, a program that trains veterans to provide peer support and linkage to resources for service members and veterans throughout Michigan. During opening week, for instance, Buddy’s donated $1 from every 8-square pizza sold to the Buddy-to-Buddy Program.
“We’re grateful for the support that Buddy’s has shown us over the years to serve veterans in our community,” said Buddy-to-Buddy Program Manager Bill Bryan. “It’s important that businesses like Buddy’s use their reach to bring attention to important causes.”
Brand development
The new Plymouth location, located at 15075 Beck Road less than a mile from USA Hockey Arena, is approximately 7,000-square-feet with room for 200 guests, including 25 seats on an outdoor patio.
The urban store design will blend Buddy’s tradition with modern industrial elements incorporating aspects of history from its original Detroit location where the Original Detroit-Style Pizza legacy began in 1946 – at the Buddy’s Rendezvous Pizzeria on Six Mile and Conant street in Detroit.
In addition to serving a variety of Buddy’s original Detroit-style pizzas, the restaurant will feature a broad menu – including gluten-free pizza, salads, burgers and more. The newest location will also feature a selection of craft brews, including Buddy’s own signature craft beers, Buddy Brew and Bocce IPA.
The opening of Buddy’s helps mark Plymouth Township as a “destination” location, Heise said.
“It further raises the brand image of Plymouth Township,” he said.
For more information, visit www.buddyspizza.com.
