We've heard news about both Chicago and Detroit regional pizza chains talking about expansion. But which will call the Kalamazoo area home first?

Kalamazoo is, of course, situated directly in between Chicago and Detroit, 140 miles to each major metropolis. So whose pizza establishes a beachhead here first?

The Case for Detroit Pizza

You could say that Detroit Pizza is already here, as so many national chains have their roots in Detroit - Domino's, Little Caesars, Jet's, Hungry Howie's. But other than Jet's, none of those chains are particularly known for Detroit-style pizza.

Take Buddy's. The southeast Michigan chain was rumored to be sniffing around West Michigan in 2018, but so far nothing has materialized. Could Kalamazoo be in thier expansion plans? Or would they first look at other Michigan locations that might be more familiar with the chain Grand Rapids, Lansing for

The Case for Chicago Pizza

Again, you could make the case for the deep dish Chicago-style pizza already is established in Southwest Michigan with Old Chicago. However that chain doesn't necessarily have roots in Chitown, rather it's a creation of Colorado-based CraftWorks Restaurants.

Gino's East, a well known Chicago pizzeria did open their first Michigan location in 2018 in South Haven.

Another Chicago treasure, Giordano's announced they were expanding further with a location in Madison, Wisconsin. (That news was the inspiration for this article.) The chain does have a presence in Michigan with restaurants in Holland and Detroit.

So which of these expanding restaurants makes Kalamazoo home first?

 

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