"Buddy’s Pizza, the original home of the Detroit-style square pizza, has a received an investment that will finally take the small chain beyond the borders of Michigan. The company announced today in a release that CapitalSpring, a private investment firm focused on the restaurant industry, has made an undisclosed investment to “recapitalize” Buddy’s and assist the restaurant group in expanding its galaxy of locations “across the Midwest and beyond.” Buddy’s was founded in 1946 by the Guerra family, and has changed hands three times since. It was last sold in 1970 to Billy and Shirlee Jacobs. Their son Robert Jacobs is now president of the company and has overseen its major growth from a small bar on Conant St. in Detroit to 12 locations across Southeast Michigan. It’s latest restaurant debuted in Ann Arbor in October and will soon be followed by a full-service restaurant at the Detroit Zoo in Royal Oak." - Brenna Houck
