Square Mfg. Co. brings Detroit-style pizza to Natick

NATICK — A new Rte. 9 pizza shop is delivering a slice of Detroit to Natick.

Square Mfg. Co., at 935 Worcester St. and replacing a Pizza Hut, specializes in the motor city's pizza, distinguished by its rectangular shape and thick, crispy crust. Helmed by husband and wife Kal and Kris Gullapalli, the spot opened last month.

Kal is a Detroit native, while Kris attended University of Michigan. When they started dating, Kal introduced Kris to Detroit's way of doing pizza.

"I loved it... what I love particularly about Detroit-style pizza is it has that really great, crispy, crunchy crust that I hadn't really seen in a pizza before," said Kris Gullapalli.

When they moved to Massachusetts seven years ago and found a dearth of Detroit-style pizza, they decided to fix that. Previously, they owned Lisa's Pizzeria in Woburn.

The name of the restaurant is a reference to Detroit's manufacturing roots, which helped shape the pizza style. According to Square Mfg. Co.'s website, the trend goes back to 1946, when a customer brought an auto parts tray from the factory he worked in and suggested to Gus and Anna Guerra, owners of a neighborhood bar Buddy's Rendezvous, that they try to cook the pizzas in those pans.

To make the pizza, they start with freshly made dough that rises in a rectangular pan overnight. It's then topped off with cheese and put in the oven. Sauce is added at the end.

It's a lighter, airy form of deep dish. The process varies from the conventional way of preparing pizza, where the order is dough, sauce and then cheese.

"I love all pizza, but I think our place is something different," said Kris Gullapalli. "It's something to break up what people have always known as pizza. It's just another thing to make life a little more exciting."

Gullapalli said staff members spend a lot of time on the presentation of every box, working to make each meal visually appetizing so customers feel they are dining at a restaurant.

"We wanted people to feel like they're eating out, even though they're sitting at home at the dining table," said Gullapalli.

"Big Cheese" (cheese blend, fresh herbs, ricotta, parmesan and house-made red sauce) and "Suparoni" (cheese blend, cupping pepperoni, pepperoncini, peppadews and hot honey drizzle) are some of the more popular items on the menu so far, said Gullapalli. Her favorite, though, is "Zeus," a cheese blend with feta, olives, roasted garlic, roasted tomatoes, spinach and fresh herbs.

Gullapalli said they'd been looking for a new business venture when the COVID-19 virus hit. She comes from a family of doctors, who were on the front lines of the pandemic alongside other medical workers.

"I was sitting at home, watching reruns and eating candy, thinking, 'I want to be doing something,'" she said. "I figured, you know what I could do? I can create a business, create some jobs, and also bring a little bit of joy to what is kind of a dark time to a lot of people right now."

Square Mfg. Co. is open from 3 to 9 p.m. Tuesday to Sunday. It is closed on Mondays. The store is pick-up only, though the owners hope to add delivery soon. Check out its website at https://www.squaremfg.co/.

Zane Razzaq writes about education. Reach her at 508-626-3919 or zrazzaq@wickedlocal.com. Follow her on Twitter @zanerazz.