In an unprecedented expansion of its menu, Buddy's Pizza, a Michigan mainstay since 1946, has introduced "Rendezvous Rounds," a series of round pizzas now being tested exclusively in West Michigan. A WXYZ report indicates that these round pizzas are an homage to the original Buddy's Rendezvous Pizzeria, marking the first time in the company's 79-year history that such a shape has graced its menu. The testing ground includes 10-inch and 14-inch specialty pizzas available at their Grand Rapids and Portage locations only.
Adding a circular twist to a famously square-rooted tradition, customers now have the option to build their pizza or choose from three specialty offerings: Supreme, Meat Lovers, and Napoli. As detailed by a WZZM13 article, prices range from $8.49 for a 10-inch build-your-own pizza plus additional costs per topping to $13.99 for a 14-inch specialty round, diversifying price points for various appetites and budgets.
Joe Dominiak, CEO of Buddy's Pizza, emphasized the shift to round pizzas as a customer-guided initiative to satisfy western Michigan's preferences, which tend to differ from those who grew up with Detroit-style square pizza, according to an MLive report, in his statement, “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.”
As an added incentive to attract clientele and celebrate the launch, Buddy's Pizza has announced several promotions, including giving away a free 10-inch round cheese pizza to the first 46 customers at the Grand Rapids and Portage locations on February 17 and offering a voucher for free Buddy's Pizza for a year to one lucky customer per location per day from February 17 until February 23, according to an MLive report, also on February 26, a special event will be hosted at the Portage Buddy’s featuring Porter, the Kalamazoo Growlers mascot, alongside the opportunity for children to receive a complimentary "Lil' Rendezvous Meal" with the purchase of an adult entree.
For those interested in participating in the promotions or simply trying out the round pizzas at Buddy's Pizza, addresses are provided: Grand Rapids location at 4061 28th Street SE and Portage location at 5314 South Westnedge Avenue.
