New CEO of Buddy's Pizza talks about future of the company, new menu

Susan Selasky | Detroit Free Press

Show Caption Hide Caption Buddy's Pizzeria opens in downtown Detroit Everything you need to know about the new Buddy's Pizzeria location in downtown Detroit.

Burton Heiss has lived most of his life on the California coast and the last 10 years in the Washington, D.C., area.

Now he’s planted in Detroit and in what’s been deemed one of the hottest restaurant scenes and comeback cities.

Heiss, 50, is a Pepperdine University grad whose career spans the food business from Baja Fresh (Mexican fast casual) to Nando’s Peri Peri (a South African-born chicken chain mainly in the D.C. area).

More: New downtown Buddy's Pizza to feature grab-and-go slices, sandwiches, salads

Now he’s sinking his teeth into pizza, though it wasn't until Buddy's that he tried Detroit-style pizza.

Last August, without much fanfare, Heiss was named CEO of Buddy’s Pizza, the iconic local chain that started in 1946. It’s the originator of Detroit-style pizza and has a reputation to uphold.

Heiss says he’s excited and up for the task.

What makes Buddy's Detroit-style pizza? It’s the long rise, double stretching of the dough and the rectangular shape. It’s the Wisconsin Brick cheese that, side to side and end to end, help give the pizza its hallmark crust: thick, airy and, of utmost importance, caramelized and crispy.

Not only is it popular, but it’s trendy.

I caught up with Heiss ahead of the opening of the newest location in downtown Detroit to learn about his goals for the pizza chain.

Questions and answers have been edited for brevity and clarity.

Q. What attracted you to Buddy’s?

A. "When you look at Buddy’s, there’s a lot to be excited about. First, iconic 70-year-old brands that are looking to grow … they’re not growing on trees. I think the space that Buddy’s is in, the prominence around the product. People are out there, working endlessly to figure out what’s on-trend, what does the consumer want. And here Buddy’s has something that is original, that they have been doing for 70 years and that is absolutely on-trend."

Q. Buddy’s says its roots are in Detroit. How do you feel being part of Detroit’s comeback?

A. "There feels to me to be quite a parallel between Buddy’s story and Detroit. … It’s an amazing opportunity early in my tenure and early in this next phase of Buddy’s growth. It’s really a launching point for us and it seems appropriate that it's coming back downtown where there is much happening, so much growth, so much new development to make sure that it’s not just new but also some old that has sort of been reborn.

"That’s a really interesting parallel and powerful that Detroit has so much history. It should have some sense of the old coming back as much as the new stuff going on."

Q. Buddy's has opened four locations this year and now has 16 in Michigan. Are there plans for more expansion? Is it worrisome to over-expand?

A. My goal is thoughtful expansion. How can we grow while maintaining the core of what’s made Buddy’s successful, which is clearly about the pizza and the people? Those are the two most important assets we have. How will we grow and maintain that?

"It means to me continued growth in Michigan while starting to look at markets in the Midwest that are nearby, in Ohio or Indiana. Those would be likely places to look. And we are looking. So that’s really the goal is going forward."

Q. Could you see Buddy's as a national brand?

A. "There are some brands popping up in Brooklyn, New York, and in Denver, Colorado. Clearly the national implication is interesting. But that’s not on the agenda right now. The agenda right now is take a look at our current footprint and continue to grow adjacent to where we are. But again, if we can’t get the pizza and people right, the rest doesn’t matter. So the foundation has to come first."

"Location and being downtown obviously are the biggest differences. I do think the Madison building is iconic and it really has great bones, which adds to the design. For people ... when they come here, they will see the evolution continue in our design. Having a little more of a contemporary feel while staying true to our roots. We do have a new menu, it’s 90% the same, but has a little different look and feel. The good news is it’s still the same original Detroit-style pizza. Nothing has changed in our recipe and nothing will. But a few of the pasta or sandwiches are updated."

Q. Why the change?

A. "The menu change is just about the evolution of Buddy's ... over 70 years, it’s changed many times. I’ve reviewed a lot of the old menus and there’s consistently been evolution, innovation along the way. We need to continue that. For the downtown location for the potential lunch business what we’ve introduced is Buddy’s by the square. So slices of original Detroit-style pizza, grab and go sandwiches and salads for people either before a game who don’t have time to sit down and order or on their lunch break or they want to take it back to their office."

Contact Susan Selasky at 313-222-6872 or sselasky@freepress.com. Follow @SusanMariecooks on Twitter.