I had no idea how long Buddy's Pizza has been doing business in the Detroit area until I was invited to their 65th Anniversary celebration on June 23rd. At the original Buddy's Pizza location on Conant Street and Six Mile, Detroit City Council President Charles Pugh declared June 23rd Buddy's Pizza Day in the city of Detroit. Speaking from a podium in the parking lot of the Conant Street location, Council President Pugh made Buddy's Pizza Day official by presenting a resolution to Robert Jacobs, the owner of Buddy’s Pizza.
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| Detroit Council President Charles Pugh declares June 23rd Buddy's Pizza Day |
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| Carol has the most seniority as a Buddy's employee |
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| Michelle has been working at Buddy's for 4 years |
According to longtime Buddy's employee Carol (top photo above), the fact that Buddy's has not changed is why she loves working there. When I asked her why she has stayed with Buddy's for so long, she said its because of their great customers and the family like atmosphere. I also asked one of the newest employees about her experience at Buddy's. Michelle (bottom photo above) is the newbie with 4 years with the company and says all the employees are like family. But one change that Carol says has happened at Buddy's is the improvement of their menu to include multi-grain and gluten-free pizzas.
After the Buddy's Pizza Day declaration, everyone was invited inside to try out the new Buddy's Motor City Pizza Collection which contains four new pizzas creations each associated with and benefiting a non-profit cultural institution in the metro Detroit area. Each pizza features the original Buddy’s crust (YUMMY) and a Motor City Cheese Blend of Fontinella, Asiago and brick cheeses. The Motor City Pizza Collection incudes:
· The Detroit Institute of Arts – Topped with spinach and artichoke blend, capers, roasted tomatoes, parmesan and served with a fresh lemon wedge.
· The Henry Ford – Topped with red onion, seasoned ground beef, smoked bacon, bleu cheese, tomato basil sauce and parmesan.
· The Parade Company – Topped with fresh carrots, sliced grape tomatoes, tomato basil sauce and parmesan
· The Detroit Zoo – Topped with fresh basil, pine nuts and tomato basil sauce.
When customers purchase any of these pizzas, Buddy’s will donate $1 to the non-profit institution throughout 2011, I had the pleasure of tasting all the new pizzas and my personal favorite is The Henry Ford (and I am not just saying that because I work for Ford Motor Company).
If you have not been to the original Buddy's location for some time, you may want to pay a visit since it is the only Buddy's location that sells Kid Rock’s American Badass beer and a new pizza creation named after the rocker - the Kid Rock’s Badass Detroiter pizza - the only Buddy's pizza that contains beer in the crust. This pizza will only be available on Friday and Saturday nights.
“It doesn’t get much more Detroit than Kid Rock, and that was the pure inspiration behind the Kid Rock’s Badass Detroiter pizza,” said Robert Jacobs, the owner of Buddy's Pizza. “We’re so pleased to know he’s a fan of Buddy’s and we’re so proud of his success. We certainly share an immense amount of Detroit pride.”
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| Detroit City Council President Pugh joins his Buddy's Pizza |
Buddy’s fans can also visit any of the nine Buddy’s Pizza locations to pick up an anniversary customer card featuring monthly deals while supplies last. Once a month through Dec. 15 cardholders can purchase an 8-square cheese pizza for $6.50 and add extra toppings for 65 cents each.
And in continuation of its 65th anniversary celebration, Buddy’s is hosting a Facebook sweepstakes through the month of July. Customers can visit www.facebook.com/buddyspizza through July 31st for a chance to win free pizza for a year, and one of five family memberships to The Henry Ford. For details and official rules visit www.facebook.com/buddyspizza.
With the same family atmosphere, new pizzas, customer discounts and a great contest, Buddy's is making their 65th anniversary a year to remember in Detroit.
Enjoy!
Disclosure: I was invited to Buddy's 65th anniversary celebration as a member of the media. I was not compensated for this post and all opinions are my own. All photos in this post were taken my me.
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