Buddy's Pizza Opens New Restaurant Inside the Detroit Zoo

Buddy’s Pizza Opens New Restaurant Inside the Detroit Zoo

One of my favorite things to do when we visit family back home in Michigan is to stop in for Buddy’s Pizza. We usually dine in at least once a visit and we have shared our visits with you over the years. (You can check them out here.) Our last visit to Michigan was Christmas 2017 and we made a bee-line for the Buddy’s Pizza in Warren for a delicious lunch. My niece joined us once again as she also loves everything that Buddy’s Pizza has to offer but don’t take her pizza or she will make you pay.

Besides their iconic pizza, we love their breadsticks, baked lasagna, and salads. That is why I was super excited this week when I heard that they are opening a new Buddy’s Pizza location. I got even more excited when I discovered that this location would be opening up at another one of my favorite spots in the area, the Detroit Zoo.

These merger of these two iconic institutions makes my smile inside and out. Maybe it is the many memories we have made at both places, over the years, that makes me so giddy or maybe I am smiling in anticipation because I know where I will be going the next time I am in Michigan. Whatever the reason, I can’t wait to share the great news and adorable pictures with you.

Buddy’s Pizza is the home of the original Detroit-style square pizza going back to 1946 and the opening of its newest restaurant inside the Detroit Zoo on Thursday, Oct. 4, marked its 13^th location in Michigan. This is no small eatery though. It is a whopping 5, 200 square-feet and will seat 163 guests. Guests will enjoy picturesque views of the Zoo’s historic Horace H. Rackham Memorial Fountain from the main dining room, an outdoor patio and a rooftop terrace that boasts the highest vantage point in the Zoo.

Besides their original square pizzas, the restaurant will feature pizza by the slice, gluten-free pizza, antipasto salad, Buddy Brew and other cold beverages. With a menu like that and a fantastic view, it will quickly become the “go to” spot for any meals while visiting the Detroit Zoo.

The restaurant incorporates donated and recycled materials, including tables and furnishings built with reclaimed wood from around the Zoo that have been stamped with the location of its origin. A striking ceiling feature is made of 100-year-old wooden planks from a Michigan barn and two counters were built using bowling alley flooring from an old establishment in metro Detroit. Additionally, the windows are made with fretted glass to prevent and minimize the occurrence of bird strikes. The rooftop terrace is made from a 95-percent recycled wood-alternative decking material called Trex, composed primarily of plastic grocery bags and reclaimed hardwood. Future eco-friendly practices will include a rain garden cared for with water runoff from the rooftop terrace.

The restaurant will be open daily, year-round from 11 a.m. until the zoo closes and will be managed by Service Systems Associates, operator of concessions, retail and grounds services for the Zoo.

See what the Detroit Zoological Society and Buddy’s had to say about this momentous partnership.

“We’re proud to partner with Buddy’s and bring another classic and iconic hometown staple to our visitors,” said Ron Kagan, Executive Director and CEO for the Detroit Zoological Society. “This building is also yet another example of our commitment to environmental sustainability.”

“Since 2011, Buddy’s has been the ‘Proud Pizza Partner of the Detroit Zoo’ which has included assisting with educational opportunities for students and special enrichment experiences with animals,” said Wes Pikula, Buddy’s Pizza COO. “Having an actual Buddy’s restaurant there is a natural expansion of that partnership and we’re glad to be able to serve more families as they visit our cherished zoo.”

In preparation of the opening of the new location Buddy’s donated $1 for each Detroit Zoo pizza – topped with its signature Motor City cheese blend, roasted tomatoes, fresh basil, and tomato-basil sauce – purchased at any of their locations during the month of September to the Detroit Zoological Society.