Buddy's Pizza — Restaurant in Livonia

I want to start off by saying that I am fully aware that Detroit has forced it's way into critically acclaimed pizza atmosphere, and rightfully so. "Detroit Style" pizza is delicious and absolutely deserves the recognition it gets.

Buddy's often makes the list of "best" this or that "Detroit Style" pizzas, etc., and that they should. The pizza for the most part is quite good. The best? Absolutely not, but definitely a good solid slice almost all of the time, and for that they deserve their recognition. I know they're famous for their pizza, but as a dine-in patron, I don't always want pizza when I sit down and eat.

While we're on the topic of sitting down, this Buddy's location is much like any other Buddy's location. Being a chain with multiple locations, by this point you kind of know what you're getting yourself into when visiting any of the Buddy's locations. If you're unfamiliar with this particular location, it's located in an area that perhaps is a little less busy than some of the the other areas that you'll find a buddy's. Regardless, there is a very large parking lot that you'll find toward the rear of the building. It get's busy here, but I can't imagine someone not being able to find a parking spot even during the busiest of times. The parking lot really is quite large.

When you walk in, you might wonder if you've been here before, and that's because being a chain, many of these places look alike. I haven't been to every Buddy's location, so I cannot say they they are all in fact identical, but I am willing to bet that most if not all share a similar theme and decorative styling.

The staff here is friendly, accommodating, and efficient. Despite it being moderately busy when we were in, we had no trouble at all getting a table. The eating area is very spacious, so I would imagine it would have to be very, VERY busy in order to really pack this place out.

I've eaten pizza at multiple Buddy's locations, and I often get carry out pizza from this one, so for this visit I wanted to try some of the other fare on the menu. Turns out that was kind of a soggy mistake. I got the Chicken Parmesan and it was just okay. Maybe even a little less than okay. In my personal opinion it was just very bland, and the sauce was super watery. I was able to actually pour the underlying water out into another dish, which was strange and a bit unappetizing. I was truly hoping for some better Italian style food based upon the quality of the pizza, but it just wasn't there.

When all was said and done, we had a good time (even with my watery pasta), the service was great (our waitress was fantastic), the food was hot (and watery), the beer was cold, and the pizza was delicious as always. Oh and the bread, order the breadsticks to start off, they're always delicious.

Bring the kids, meet a coworker, bring grandma, bring your girlfriend, bring your second girlfriend that the first doesn't know about, bring uncle Flavio from Brooklyn that doesn't believe that "Detroit Style Pizza" is really a thing. Bring anyone, just make sure you stick with the Pizza when you...

Travel Log 5 Tamuz 5785, Georgian Calendar 2hours 52minutes and approximately 40.55 seconds according to Michigan time.

The minutes have turned to hours. The days have turned to years. Despite my large breakfast at Chick Fil' A, earlier today, it feels as though I have not eaten in over 8 weeks. When the word lunch is mentioned, it feels as though a single drop of cold water has been put in my dry, mouth on a hot desert day. It is refreshing, but highly inadequate. When all of a sudden, a hero swoops in to save the day. The one and only Buddy's Pizza. As I walked into the cool, Vibin, and chill interior, I am greeted with friendly staff adhering to the unspoken principal of service with a smile. Said staff makes sure to get me and my party seated with haste. They took our drink orders almost immediately. Unfortunately, they employed Pepsi products. However, they showed enough humanity as to offer Dr.Pepper. :) :) :) They delivered the drinks quickly. And then tragedy struck. I. Spilled. Some. Of. My. Soda. 🥺 As grave a misfortune as this was, I discovered that they topped our table with napkins for our comfort and convenience. The restrooms in this particular establishment were easy to locate, clean, and comfortable, despite the fact that the walls of the stalls seemed rickety and old. In addition to napkins, the table came topped with such luxuries as black pepper crushers, crushed red pepper, and, are you ready. Cheese. Sweet. Savory. Succulent cheese. The walls were adorned with television screens and Detroit-themed decorations, helping to add to the family and tourist friendly atmosphere. After a somewhat long wait, the amazing food in shining armor arrived to slay the dangerous dragon of hunger. The wait time was understandable, as the quest from kitchen to dining hall is a long arduous journey for a group of our particular size. There was ketchup. If you've ready review of Five Guys, then you are surely aware that my affinity for that particular condiments exceeds that of a knight's affinity for his armor, his king, and his kingdom. Oh, and there was mustard too, I guess. I don't wanna diss mustard, but it's just not that great. Nice they provided it though. Anyways... The allergy friendly food was phenomenal, refills came on time, and I was equipped with my ketchup like a knight with his sword, shield, and trebuchet. With such a powerful ally in my hand. I decided to coat my pizza in ketchup, a decision which I most definitely did not regret. I was granted with an amount of food that surpasses the greatest of royal feasts. I ate like the five thousand that Jesus Christ fed. And just like them, I had leftovers. My to go box was provided. It was no ordinary to go box, but a shiny metallic one. Shining the armor of Camelot's round table in all it's glimmers glory. For a feast so great, I expected high prices, but was greeted with a bill of a modest $20 and 44¢. Verily a great...

Mr. Heiss, while expanding the franchise of our beloved Buddy’s something has gone seriously wrong since 2019-

This used to be our family, go to for birthday celebrations, family, gatherings, or just a regular date night with my husband.

Our last four visits over the past year have been very disappointing- I will blame the service issue on the whole pandemic… as everywhere seems to be lacking in good service

But when it comes to the Pizza, which I’ve devoured for some 30+ years, Something has definitely changed. You say that the recipe is the same and that you’ve left the Pizza alone but that’s not true. The crust is quite thinner than it ever used to be and once upon a time the pizza’s were loaded with toppings and cheesy-

we usually order an eight piece with one to three toppings. Sometimes there’s only one slice of pepperoni or a piece of sausage on a slice of pizza. My husband and I used to only be able to eat half a pizza-

you increased the cost of the pizza significantly while sacrificing the quality and quantity of what we’ve come to know over many decades-

The Antipasta salad is poorly chopped and prepared- we’ve picked out large cores of lettuce- The meat and cheese used to be perfectly diced and cut. Now you get large slices of salami or cheese.

I’m sorry, but you are no longer our first choice for pizza any longer-I’ll spend my $45 -$55 somewhere else- I’m just one customer so it won’t impact you much- But in reading the reviews, I see others are feeling disappointed, too

Before continuing to expand across the country, please take care of those businesses in this area, where the pizza originated and go back to what used to make this...