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Pizza Cat Max celebrated its grand opening at 640 Packard St. Friday afternoon, officially bringing the franchise to Ann Arbor. Located 15 minutes away from the Big House, the establishment combines a pizzeria and sports bar experience.
Pizza Cat started in Toledo, Ohio as a mom-and-pop carry-out restaurant before expanding to Pizza Cat Max, which provides a bigger experience with live entertainment, bingo nights, a full bar and sit-down lounges with a retro neon theme. Pizza Cat has six locations across the Midwest in cities including Westland and Madison Heights. The Ann Arbor Pizza Cat Max is the first Max location since the one in downtown Detroit closed earlier this year.
In an interview with The Michigan Daily, Pizza Cat co-owner Brian Jackson said the brand differentiates itself from typical pizzeria establishments by being a space for everybody.
“Our motto is, ‘Keep pizza weird,’” Jackson said. “Inside the building right now, it’s colors, it’s vibes, it’s energy and it’s a place for everybody. You can be a kid here, we have nostalgic retro games. You can be a college student, that’s why we put the (downstairs lounge) to have a night with your friends and just kick it. When we say, ‘Keep pizza weird,’ we want people to build their own experience. If you want a pizza with ranch base, pickles and pepperonis, hey we can do that for you here.”
With the new franchise’s location and its late closing hours on weekends, Jackson said he is excited for Pizza Cat Max to be part of the college game day and University of Michigan student experience.
“The vibes are amazing,” Jackson said. “This is my fifth store opening, but to be on the U-M campus and know that somebody is about to experience something we created, I can’t wait for people to experience it. Especially on a game day or a regular night, where usually there’s nothing to do, but ‘Hey, let’s go to Pizza Cat, let’s have a few drinks, let’s enjoy the pizza’.”
Dan Cook lives in Detroit and helps create Pizza Cat’s designs and brand image. In an interview with The Daily, Cook said he is excited for U-M students to experience Pizza Cat’s first location outside of Metro Detroit.
“It’s a lot of fun,” Cook said. “Pizza Cat’s branding (reflects) their motto: ‘Keep pizza weird.’ The brand is very young and fun, and the pizza is very good. It makes sense in this area because I think a lot of U-M students are going to love it. The drinks and the energy of the space are very fun and energetic.”
Local artist Tori Fields told The Daily one of her pieces of art is featured in Pizza Cat as decor for the location’s interior.
“(Jackson) had a bunch of Detroit local artists put their art in canvases here for the grand opening,” Fields said. “One of my pieces is actually in here, so it’s another reason to be here. It’s really dope. It’s really a good vibe in here.”
In an interview with The Daily, Information junior Elise Herzog said she visited Pizza Cat prior to its grand opening and that it offers a space for friends to gather over anything from food to games to sports. .
“I think it would be a really cool place to hang out if you brought a lot of people, as long as it doesn’t get too crowded because there was not a ton of space,” Herzog said. “They also have a bar, so I think it would be a fun place to go with a group of friends (and) hang out, especially in the lounge area, playing some of their games and watching a football game on the TV.”
Daily Staff Reporter Christina Zhang can be reached at zchristi@umich.edu. Daily Staff Reporter Eilene Koo contributed reporting to this article.
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