Buddy’s Pizza Acquired by Detroit Investors Focused on Quality and Frozen Products

Buddy's Pizza changed hands. A trio of Detroit-based investors—Saber Ammori, Andrew Dickow, and Kevin Denha—bought the chain from CapitalSpring LLC, which had owned the brand since 2018.

The sale price wasn't disclosed. First Merchants Bank provided financing for the deal, per a news release.

Dickow is a managing director of investment bank Greenwich Capital Group in Birmingham. Ammori and Denha are co-founders of major T-Mobile retailer Wireless Vision in Birmingham and real estate and retail investors.

"For us, this is deeply personal," said Dickow in a statement, according to the Detroit Free Press. "I still remember walking to Buddy's as a kid and grabbing a slice. The crust had that unmistakable crunch, the pizza felt premium in a way nothing else did, and it was the highlight of my day. Buddy's has always been more than a meal. It is a part of Detroit's fabric, and for a lot of us, it is tied to family, tradition, and memory."

The new owners will zero in on customer experience, product quality, and brand reputation. They'll also push to widen frozen pizza offerings in grocery stores nationwide.

"We see a meaningful opportunity to thoughtfully grow our frozen pizza offering so customers across the country can enjoy the same product experience that has made Buddy's a Detroit staple for nearly 80 years," said Dickow.

The pizzeria marks 80 years of business in 2026. Gus Guerra started selling pizzas at Buddy's Rendezvous in 1946 at his bar on Conant Street just north of McNichols in Detroit.

Guerra sold the location in 1953. He then opened Cloverleaf Pizza restaurant in Eastpointe. William and Shirlee Jacobs bought the business in 1970 and grew it from a single restaurant to a multi-location brand.

The chain struggled with gaining traction outside of southeast Michigan under CapitalSpring's ownership. The last west Michigan location in Grand Rapids closed in January.

Two other locations in Portage and Walker also closed in recent years. The brand opened more than 20 locations during the CapitalSpring era but has since scaled back.

The chain now has 19 sit-down and carryout locations in Michigan. Sites include Ann Arbor, Auburn Hills, Bloomfield Hills, Canton Township, Clarkston, Dearborn, Detroit, Farmington Hills, Grosse Pointe, Livonia, Novi, Okemos, Plymouth, Royal Oak, Shelby Township, Troy, Warren, and Woodhaven.

Detroit Mayor Dave Bing named June 23 as Buddy's Pizza Day in 2011.