History
Buddy's Rendezvous was opened in 1936 by Gus Guerra on Conant Street in Detroit as a speakeasy. It wasn't until 1946 when Buddy's Rendezvous created the Detroit-style pizza that it was a success. The recipe, a regional variation of Sicilian sfincione, was based on the family recipe of Guerra's wife, Anna, and refined by long-time employee Connie Piccinato. [3]
The pizza's signature crust characteristics were achieved by baking the dough in blue steel pans originally manufactured as automotive drip trays or small parts bins, which Guerra obtained from local factories. [4]
In 1953, Guerra sold Buddy's Rendezvous and opened the Cloverleaf Bar in Eastpointe, Michigan (then East Detroit), where he continued to serve the square pizza. [5] The original Buddy's location was eventually purchased by William "Billy" Jacobs circa 1972 because his wife, Shirlee Jacobs, liked the pizza. Their son, Robert Jacobs, took over the business and expanded it significantly before selling to a private equity group Capital Spring in 2019. [6]
The restaurant expanded across Michigan and currently has 23 restaurants. [7] The additional locations are Ann Arbor, Auburn Hills, Bloomfield Hills, Dearborn, Downtown Detroit, Farmington Hills, Grand Rapids, Grosse Pointe, Lansing, Livonia, Novi, Plymouth, Portage, Royal Oak, Shelby Township, Warren and Woodhaven. [8]
In 2022, the restaurant chain opened two more locations, Okemos, Michigan [9] and Clarkston, Michigan. [10]
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