Michigan Chain Jet’s Is Bringing Its Hugely Popular Detroit Pizza to New York

Huge news for Detroit-style pizza lovers: Michigan’s wildly popular homegrown chain Jet’s Pizza is opening its first New York City location soon — with plans to eventually offer its square pies in multiple locations across the city.

Franchisee Scott Gregerson grew up in the Detroit area and is behind the new Chelsea outpost at 120 Ninth Ave., between West 17th and West 18th streets, which will open later this month. His goal is to open more locations of the restaurant here, too, though he won’t know where until after the first one debuts.

Jet’s specializes in Detroit-style pizzas, the thick square pies with crispy edges. The crusts here can be infused with flavors, such as cajun, garlic, poppy seed, and “turbo,” a combo of butter, garlic and Romano, and their pies come as either four corners or eight corners, a way to maximize the caramelized edges.

The restaurant has a cult following in the Midwest, where it started more than 40 years ago. Now, the regional chain has 400-plus locations, including in Buffalo, New York.

Detroit-style pizza became a hit in New York only over the last few years, specifically with the runaway popularity of Emmy Squared, which itself has expanded nationally. The style is also available at Chelsea slice shop Lions and Tigers and Squares.

But Jet’s will be the first time that a restaurant straight from the Detroit area will be hitting the city. It’s also more of an everyday, lower-cost family gathering kind of pizza, versus the more specialized and higher cost pies of Emmy Squared. The Chelsea Jet’s will have a ten-seat dine-in space, but delivery will be the big focus: Gregerson chose Chelsea so that it could have a wide Manhattan delivery zone.

Jet’s is slated to open by the end of September. Stay tuned for more.