Buddy’s Pizza donated $1 from every pizza sold on June 23 to The Salvation Army
To celebrate the second annual National Detroit-Style Pizza Day on June 23, Buddy’s Pizza, creator of the Original Detroit-Style Pizza and founder of the nationally recognized day, partnered with pizzerias across the U.S. to give back to their local communities.
Buddy’s Pizza donated $1 from every pizza sold at all 21 locations on June 23 to The Salvation Army, and each Detroit-Style pizzeria from around the country donated a portion of sales to a local organization whose mission is to fight hunger and/or homelessness.
“National Detroit-Style Pizza Day isn’t only about raising awareness for the authentic pizza style and how it’s changing the industry – it’s also about cooming together to give back to those in need,” said Buddy’s Pizza Chief Brand Officer Wes Pikula. “Buddy’s is committed to supporting the communities we’re a part of, and we’re proud to have partnered with other Detroit-Style pizzerias throughout the nation who share the same commitment.”
In total, the pizzerias raised approximately $10,500 and will give the donated funds to local nonprofits of their choice.
The participating pizzerias made the following donations from sales on June 23:
- Buddy’s Pizza donated $1 from every pizza sold at all 21 locations to The Salvation Army;
- Detroit-Style Pizza Co. in Detroit donated 10 percent of each order to Gleaners;
- DTown Pizzeria in Los Angeles donated 10 percent of sales to No Kid Hungry;
- Fat Chris’s Pizza and Such in Chicago donated 15 percent of sales to Nourishing Hope;
- Lions, Tigers and Squares in New York donated $1 per pizza sold to New York City Rescue Mission;
- Paulie Gee’s Logan Square in Chicago donated $1 per Detroit-Style Pizza sold to No Kid Hungry with Greater Chicago Food Depository.
- Rice N’ Pie in Atlanta donated $1 per pizza sold to a local charity;
- SoDough Square in Orlando, Fla. donated $1 per pizza to Nathaniel’s Hope;
- Square Pie Guys in San Francisco donated 2 percent of sales from all stores to San Francisco-Marin Food Bank;
- Square Pizza Co. in San Diego donated $1 per pizza sold to San Diego Food Bank; and
- Tony’s Pizza Napoletana in San Francisco donated all proceeds from each Detroit-Style pizza sold to San Francisco Marin Food Bank.
Buddy’s founded National Detroit-Style Pizza Day in 2021 to celebrate its 75th anniversary and commemorate the company’s role in creating the innovative pizza style. The national day allows Detroit-Style pizzerias across the nation to honor the history, style and roots of where it began.
To make it an official Michigan observance, Governor Gretchen Whitmer recognized Buddy’s for its contribution to the community over the last 75 years with an official proclamation for National Detroit-Style Pizza Day.
June 23 is also known as Buddy’s Pizza Day in Detroit, which former Detroit Mayor Dave Bing and Detroit City Council established to credit Buddy’s Pizza for putting Detroit on the map and showcasing the city’s innovation.
Buddy’s Pizza opened in 1946 at the corner of Six Mile and Conant in Detroit and was previously a speakeasy called Buddy’s Rendezvous. Using a bit of ingenuity and square blue steel pans intended to hold nuts and bolts at local automotive plants, Gus Guerra, along with friend and employee Concetta “Connie” Piccinato, created the first Detroit-Style Pizza – a square-shaped pie that was the firrst of its kind in a world of round pizza.
According to a recent study by Anytime Estimate, Detroit is the No. 1 pizza city in America. It’s no coincidence the Motor City is where the Detroit-Style Pizza originated 76 years ago.
National Detroit-Style Pizza Day recognizes the square-cut pizza style first served at Buddy’s Pizza in 1946 in the city that also gave us Madonna, the Mustang and the first paved road. The national observance was founded by Buddy’s Pizza and takes place on June 23. Detroit-Style Pizza has grown beyond Buddy’s into a nationwide phenomenon that you can find from Brooklyn to Denver to Los Angeles. For more information on the observance, visit https://nationaldaycalendar.com/media-alert-new-day-proclamation-national-detroit-style-pizza-day-june-23/.
In 1946, Buddy’s Pizza became the birthplace of the Original Detroit-Style Pizza. For more than seven decades, the restaurant has been feeding patrons and earning accolades from fans across the nation, including recognition from CBS This Morning, USA Today, Zagat, Food Network, Pizza Today, Eater, Travel Channel, and more. Consistently voted Detroit’s number one pizza locally, regionally and nationally, the Farmington Hills-based restaurant remains true to its Detroit roots, legacy and traditions that began on the corner of Six Mile and Conant years ago. For more information, visit www.buddyspizza.com or connect with Buddy’s on Facebook (www.facebook.com/buddyspizza), Twitter (@BuddysPizza) and Instagram (@BuddysPizzaDET).
