logo
Buddy's Pizza debuts round pizzas for first time — but only at 2 Michigan locations

Buddy's Pizza debuts round pizzas for first time — but only at 2 Michigan locations

Yahoo10-02-2025
For the first time in its nearly 80-year history, Buddy's Pizza is debuting round pizzas.
Starting Monday, the iconic pizza chain is debuting 'Rendezvous Rounds,' paying homage to the original Buddy's Rendezvous Pizzeria on Six Mile and Conant in Detroit, where the Detroit-style pizza began in 1946.
But you won't find the Rendezvous Round at metro Detroit Buddy's locations. Only two locations on the west side of the state will offer the new rounds: the Grand Rapids location at 4061 28th St. SE and the Portage location at 5314 S. Westnedge Ave.
'Pizza should make people happy, and we were hearing and seeing in the feedback from our customers in West Michigan, many of whom may not have grown up with our Detroit-style square pizza, that they would enjoy more style options, sizes and price points in their pizza experience with us at Buddy's,' said Joe Dominiak, CEO, Buddy's Pizza in a news release.
Buddy's is known for its square pizzas baked in dark, deep-dish pans. A hallmark of Detroit-style pizza also is how the pizzas are put together; Buddy's pizzas' edges are laced with a crispy, caramelized cheese crust, and the sauce is on top.
Rendezvous Rounds is known for its signature sauce, a three-cheese blend and its Sicilian spice.
On the new pizza menu, the rounds include the 10-inch ($10.49) and 14-inch ($13.99) specialty rounds available as supreme, meat lovers, or Napoli. Build-your-own pizzas start at $8.49 for a 10-inch and $11.49 for a 14-inch, with toppings extra. For kids ages 10 and under, the Lil' Rendezvous meal is $4.99 for a 7-inch round, personal cheese pizza, Buddy Bread, and a choice of fries, fruit, or steamed veggies.
Buddy's' launch of round pizzas is part of its strategy for growth, the company said in a news release.
Buddy's will celebrate the launch of its new rounds with in-restaurant events and giveaways, including:
On Monday, Feb. 17, the first 46 customers (after Buddy's' founding year) when doors open at 11 a.m. at the Grand Rapids and Portage locations receive a free 10-inch Rendezvous Round cheese pizza.
From Feb. 17-23, one customer per day at the Grand Rapids and Portage locations will be randomly selected to receive a voucher for free Buddy's Pizza for a year.
Testing the round pizzas at these locations, Buddy's said, will determine the possibility of them moving forward with possible new openings outside beyond Detroit and Michigan.
'Buddy's Pizza has been bringing people together for nearly 80 years, and we want to keep doing that, in as many neighborhoods as possible, for as long as we can,' Dominiak said. 'In order to do that, and to continue to grow successfully in the future beyond Detroit, we are going to have to try some new things and embrace some changes, all for the better…both for our customers and our company.'
Contact Detroit Free Press food and restaurant writer Susan Selasky and send food and restaurant news and tips to: sselasky@freepress.com. Follow @SusanMariecooks on Twitter. Subscribe to the Free Press.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Buddy's Pizza debuts round pizzas at 2 west Michigan locations
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

City of Detroit wins legal protections for tenants in Real Token properties
City of Detroit wins legal protections for tenants in Real Token properties

CBS News

time19 minutes ago

  • CBS News

City of Detroit wins legal protections for tenants in Real Token properties

After months of complaints, the city of Detroit wins a major legal protection for hundreds of tenants living in blighted properties owned by a cryptocurrency-based real estate platform. Yolanda Williams and her family have lived in a house on Abington Street on the city's west side for nearly 50 years. "This is the only house I've ever known. This is my neighborhood, my community," said Williams. Their home is one of hundreds that are included in a sweeping lawsuit filed by the city of Detroit against Real Token, LLC. The lawsuit targets more than 400 homes across the city, citing the company's numerous code violations and unsafe living conditions. "It's a security thing because we're scared over here because we don't know what to expect," said Williams. Detroit Corporation Council Conrad Mallett says the company uses a network of 165 different LLC groups to avoid any kind of accountability or recourse for their tenants. "These properties are in such a degraded state that there's no way that interested owners, no matter whom they farmed out the responsibility, would not know that their tenants are living in substandard housing," said Mallett. On Wednesday, city officials announced major legal protections for those residents by safely withholding their future rent payments. "They need to not pay their rent in August to Real Token; they need to put their August rent into an escrow account," said Mallett. This temporary restraining order stops Real Token from collecting rent from any of its impacted tenants until those buildings are repaired and a certificate of compliance is issued to each of them. "Not only are the tenants not to pay rent, once the rent is paid into the escrow account, no evictions can occur," said Mallett. Mallett says this move is designed to push the company to finally address the nearly $500,000 in violations as soon as possible. "The improvements have to occur, and we're not going to accept that it's going to take seven months, eight months, nine months. None of that," said Mallett. City officials say they plan on doing door-to-door canvassing to make sure each impacted tenant knows how to set up an escrow account and gets everything figured out before their rent is due.

UFL relocating Michigan Panthers out of Detroit, report says
UFL relocating Michigan Panthers out of Detroit, report says

CBS News

timean hour ago

  • CBS News

UFL relocating Michigan Panthers out of Detroit, report says

The Michigan Panthers, which was founded in 2022, may be relocating out of Detroit, according to a report. Pro Football Newsroom's James Larsen first reported on the relocation. A source could not confirm whether the team was moving but told CBS News Detroit that six of seven people at the franchise's front office were laid off, which was considered to be unexpected. In a statement, the UFL said, "Every year, the League office looks at planning for next season and beyond. At this point, we have nothing to report on any unauthorized speculation." "What we're seeing this year is a much larger percentage of full timers being let go from their roles, and folks that need year-round jobs if you want your market to survive," Larsen told CBS News Detroit. Larsen says this includes marketing and ticket sales personnel who boasted some of the best attendance improvements in the league last season for the Panthers. "They had a 43.6% average attendance increase compared to 2024. If you're doing stuff like that and you're still getting fired, that goes to show the league has zero interest in being in this market going forward," he said. Fans can still put $50 deposits down on 2026 season tickets; however, it is unclear if there have been discussions about hosting future Panthers games at Ford Field. Larsen says the league could be moving the franchise out of Detroit due to the cost of playing there. "Ford Field is the most expensive venue the UFL has. If Michigan had won the division, they still wouldn't have been able to play that playoff game at Ford Field because of how expensive it is," he said. Larsen reported similar layoffs at the other three teams in the USFL conference (Birmingham Stallions, Houston Roughnecks, Memphis Showboats), which he reports are also subject to relocation. He says Detroit stands out due to the timing of the alleged layoffs amid an impressive period of growth. If the team does move, Larsen reports that the league could be eyeing new markets in Ohio, Idaho, Florida and Kentucky.

Trump's Japan Trade Deal Raises Fears He Gave Away Too Much
Trump's Japan Trade Deal Raises Fears He Gave Away Too Much

Yahoo

time2 hours ago

  • Yahoo

Trump's Japan Trade Deal Raises Fears He Gave Away Too Much

(Bloomberg) -- US industries and protectionists are raising alarms with President Donald Trump's pact with Japan, saying it risks undercutting his stated goals of rebalancing America's trading relationships and reviving domestic manufacturing. Trump Awards $1.26 Billion Contract to Build Biggest Immigrant Detention Center in US Why the Federal Reserve's Building Renovation Costs $2.5 Billion The High Costs of Trump's 'Big Beautiful' New Car Loan Deduction Salt Lake City Turns Winter Olympic Bid Into Statewide Bond Boom Milan Corruption Probe Casts Shadow Over Property Boom Trump and his top negotiators on Wednesday hailed the deal as a potential model for other countries hoping to win tariff concessions, citing Tokyo's pledge to create a $550 billion fund for US investments. The president's decision to grant Japan relief on automobiles, however, provoked criticism that the agreement wouldn't address the main source of the US's trade deficit with Japan even as it disadvantages Detroit's Big Three. Around 80% of the US-Japan trade gap is in cars and car parts. Tuesday's announcement marked the latest signal that Trump is willing to negotiate on industry-specific duties on products including chips and pharmaceuticals, potentially undermining the most durable pillar of his tariff strategy. The reaction underscores the risks of the president's transactional negotiating style. Industries that have championed much of Trump's trade strategy and stand to benefit from robust levies on foreign rivals could be left in the lurch as his plans shift. 'Any deal that charges a lower tariff for Japanese imports with virtually no US content than it does North American built vehicles with high US content is a bad deal for the US industry and US auto workers,' said Matt Blunt, president of the American Automotive Policy Council that represents Ford Motor Co., General Motors Co. and Stellantis NV. Trump defended his approach, which resulted in a deal to reduce Japan's country-specific rate to 15% and put US levies on cars and parts at the same level — lower than the 25% global charge on vehicles. 'I WILL ONLY LOWER TARIFFS IF A COUNTRY AGREES TO OPEN ITS MARKET. IF NOT, MUCH HIGHER TARIFFS! Japan's Markets are now OPEN (for first time ever!). USA BUSINESSES WILL BOOM!' Trump posted. His Commerce Secretary, Howard Lutnick, argued in a Bloomberg Television interview on Wednesday that it was also ratcheting up pressure on South Korea and Europe to make additional concessions or risk their automakers being left at a significant disadvantage. And White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Trump's approach was breaking down barriers for US products abroad. 'Thanks to President Trump, these countries around the world are agreeing to open their markets to American-made products and goods for the first time, which will lead to a boom in sales and profits for American businesses right here at home,' she told reporters Wednesday. Even so, automakers and other industry stakeholders were crying foul Wednesday. They warned that giving Japan an unlimited reduction on auto tariffs undermines the use of those levies not just for cars, but also metals, semiconductors and other goods. 'Unlimited imports at tariff rates below existing Section 232 rates critically undermine the security objections' of the law and in many cases will actually encourage offshoring, said Jon Toomey, executive director of the Coalition for a Prosperous America, an advocacy group representing import-threatened industries that supports tighter trade controls. The provision on Japanese autos is far more expansive than the steel and aluminum tariff reduction Trump gave the UK, which allows a limited quota of imports to enter the US at a reduced rate. Industry-specific tariffs imposed under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act are seen as a more lasting tool than Trump's country-based tariffs for boosting the competitiveness of US-made goods, since they rest on stronger legal footing, and some have endured across multiple presidencies. Industry groups also say the product-specific rates provide certainty needed to drive investment in domestic manufacturing plants. Other countries already are clamoring for sectoral tariff relief, and the US-Japan trade deal sends a signal that they are up for negotiation, people familiar with the matter said. Two of those individuals predicted the agreement will also add leverage to the auto and oil industries' pleas for relief from steel duties. 'It doesn't make sense to allow for unlimited vehicle imports at 15%, while charging rates of 25% on auto parts and 50% on steel,' Toomey added. It's also unclear how and when the $550 billion investment fund might come to pass — or if it will prove to be as illusory as investment pledges Trump secured during his first term from China in exchange for scaling down tariffs. Although Beijing promised in 2020 to buy $200 billion in additional US agricultural commodities and other goods, ultimately only 58% of those purchases materialized amid the pandemic, according to the Peterson Institute for International Economics. Trump administration officials cast the Japan deal, as well as frameworks with Indonesia and the Philippines, as incentive for other major partners, including the European Union and South Korea, to bring their best investment and purchasing pledges to the table. 'It spurs other deals along,' White House trade adviser Peter Navarro said in a Bloomberg Television interview. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent made clear the investment plan helped Japan secure its tariff reduction, telling Bloomberg Television: 'They got the 15% rate because they were willing to provide this innovative financing mechanism.' Lutnick said on the network that under the arrangement Japan will serve as a financier providing equity, loans and other support for manufacturing plants, infrastructure and other projects in the US. Other countries will be under pressure to follow the investment model, said a senior administration official who asked for anonymity because details haven't been formally announced. The investment deals could prove especially attractive to Trump, who frequently extols planned spending in the US announced since his January inauguration. The president and top administration officials also regularly tout the surge in revenue from new tariffs, which have already brought in $113 billion this year, according to the Treasury Department. The US-Japan deal's emphasis on investment suggests the promise of more revenues has taken priority over the push to protect domestic industries, one person familiar with the matter said. While direct foreign investment in the US could help expand domestic manufacturing and artificial intelligence capacity, it won't necessarily make the country's exports more competitive on its own. And some analysts raised doubts about whether Japan's promises to open its markets to US products would prove meaningful. The administration cast Japan's concession to accept cars made to US federal motor vehicle safety standards instead of subjecting them to additional regulatory requirements as a boon for Detroit. Even so, a major impediment to US auto sales in Japan is the American designs themselves — not just trade barriers. Put simply, Japanese consumers are less interested in driving Fords and GMs than Americans are in Toyotas and Hondas. Japan sells the US about 84 cars for every one the US sells there. 'American cars that are big just don't comport well with the needs, desires and demands of the Japanese public' said Colin Grabow, an associate director at the Cato Institute's trade policy center. 'It's unclear what the payoff here is.' --With assistance from Keith Laing, Hadriana Lowenkron, Joe Mathieu, Tyler Kendall and Stephanie Lai. Elon Musk's Empire Is Creaking Under the Strain of Elon Musk Burning Man Is Burning Through Cash A Rebel Army Is Building a Rare-Earth Empire on China's Border What the Tough Job Market for New College Grads Says About the Economy How Starbucks' CEO Plans to Tame the Rush-Hour Free-for-All ©2025 Bloomberg L.P. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store