Secret Squares, which sells Detroit-style pizza, recently opened in Church Hill. (Courtesy Secret Squares)
A taste of the Motor City is revving up in Church Hill.
Secret Squares, a restaurant that bakes and sells Detroit-style pizza, is now open at 306 N. 29th St. The pizza joint is operating as a takeout-only spot, with plans to eventually introduce dine-in service.
Detroit-style pizza is topped to the edges with cheese, which drips down and caramelizes along the crust edges while the pizza bakes in a rectangular pan. The pizzas also feature sauce on top of toppings and cheese.
Secret Squares makes pizzas that are 8 by 10 inches in size and 2 inches deep. They sell for $25. The menu features pizzas with a variety of toppings and includes rotating creations. A mainstay of the menu is the Roni Pie, which features pepperoni and ricotta cheese topped with red sauce and dollops of hot honey.
Owner Willoughby Obenchain’s first taste of the Detroit-style’s crispy, cheesy crust led him to eventually launch a business devoted to the pizza. He first experienced the pizza a few years ago after a friend returned from a trip to Detroit with some of the city’s signature pizza to share. Obenchain said he was an instant fan and was eager for more.
“The cheese goes up to the edge, and being a deep pan it creates a wall of cheese on the end,” he said. “Those last bites of crust, the whole experience, was living in my mind. I was like, ‘How can I get this again?’”
Obenchain found few local options for this particular style of pizza, so he bought a couple pans and started to bake Detroit pies for himself as a hobby. His work in the kitchen during the pandemic to fine-tune a recipe resulted in a lot of pizza, which led him to share with friends.
In 2022, Secret Squares formally launched as a business, operating as a pop-up at The Kitchen Classroom in Henrico and other locations around town.
Obenchain said he had been able to build a following and felt the time had come to move into a brick-and-mortar location, which he leased earlier this year. Secret Squares officially opened at its Church Hill location in late October.
“Things were going great. People were receptive to it and it became time to take this to the next level and get our own space to do this,” he said.
Obenchain estimated that he’ll spend $50,000 to $60,000 in startup costs to fully open in the Church Hill space. The storefront was previously occupied by Ethiopian restaurant Nile, which after closing there pivoted to selling packaged meals.
Secret Squares encourages customers to order online ahead of their arrival to keep its operations flowing, since the business is making and selling whole pizzas. Obenchain said that while takeout is his focus for now, he may eventually offer delivery service.
In addition to introducing a limited amount of on-site seating, Obenchain said he plans to expand the Secret Squares menu beyond pizza to include salads and sandwiches. Obenchain is working on hiring fewer than 10 employees to work at the pizza shop.
Secret Squares, which sells Detroit-style pizza, recently opened in Church Hill. (Courtesy Secret Squares)
A taste of the Motor City is revving up in Church Hill.
Secret Squares, a restaurant that bakes and sells Detroit-style pizza, is now open at 306 N. 29th St. The pizza joint is operating as a takeout-only spot, with plans to eventually introduce dine-in service.
Detroit-style pizza is topped to the edges with cheese, which drips down and caramelizes along the crust edges while the pizza bakes in a rectangular pan. The pizzas also feature sauce on top of toppings and cheese.
Secret Squares makes pizzas that are 8 by 10 inches in size and 2 inches deep. They sell for $25. The menu features pizzas with a variety of toppings and includes rotating creations. A mainstay of the menu is the Roni Pie, which features pepperoni and ricotta cheese topped with red sauce and dollops of hot honey.
Owner Willoughby Obenchain’s first taste of the Detroit-style’s crispy, cheesy crust led him to eventually launch a business devoted to the pizza. He first experienced the pizza a few years ago after a friend returned from a trip to Detroit with some of the city’s signature pizza to share. Obenchain said he was an instant fan and was eager for more.
“The cheese goes up to the edge, and being a deep pan it creates a wall of cheese on the end,” he said. “Those last bites of crust, the whole experience, was living in my mind. I was like, ‘How can I get this again?’”
Obenchain found few local options for this particular style of pizza, so he bought a couple pans and started to bake Detroit pies for himself as a hobby. His work in the kitchen during the pandemic to fine-tune a recipe resulted in a lot of pizza, which led him to share with friends.
In 2022, Secret Squares formally launched as a business, operating as a pop-up at The Kitchen Classroom in Henrico and other locations around town.
Obenchain said he had been able to build a following and felt the time had come to move into a brick-and-mortar location, which he leased earlier this year. Secret Squares officially opened at its Church Hill location in late October.
“Things were going great. People were receptive to it and it became time to take this to the next level and get our own space to do this,” he said.
Obenchain estimated that he’ll spend $50,000 to $60,000 in startup costs to fully open in the Church Hill space. The storefront was previously occupied by Ethiopian restaurant Nile, which after closing there pivoted to selling packaged meals.
Secret Squares encourages customers to order online ahead of their arrival to keep its operations flowing, since the business is making and selling whole pizzas. Obenchain said that while takeout is his focus for now, he may eventually offer delivery service.
In addition to introducing a limited amount of on-site seating, Obenchain said he plans to expand the Secret Squares menu beyond pizza to include salads and sandwiches. Obenchain is working on hiring fewer than 10 employees to work at the pizza shop.
Website (which I had to search for as it wasn’t included in the article) is wonky. How do we place an order? What are the hours?
http://www.secretsquares.pizza
or @secretsquares on Instagram. Link in the bio to our ordering page.
we plan on being open for preordered pickups, Fri-Sun, dinner hours, and growing beyond that with time. Thanks for these important questions!
Thank you!!
Willoughby, I would love to try this tonight. How do you order, it looks like the website order page is just set up for pop up drops.
Hi Chris. For now we are doing online preorders that will go live weekly. As we take on employees and become more comfortable with the space, we will be shifting more towards traditional ordering styles. Many people have found success by signing up for the text alerts on our ordering page. This also helps limit waste on our end and long wait times on the customer end. Hope that helps!
I love Detroit style but an 8×10 inch (basically a small/personal pizza) for $25. Dinner with the kid or two for pizza would be about $75??? And that does not include a beverage.
I’m a big guy and I have a hard time beyond 1/3 (2 slices). Each pie feeds 2-3. Hope that helps!
I hope that they’ll use brick cheese from Wisconsin to make the pizza. Brick is a great pizza cheese…
I grew up on Buddy’s and Shields Pizza in Detroit—can’t wait to try this out.
I love “the Richmond spirit of throw it against the wall and if it sticks invest and move forward” can’t wait to try this bruh – thanks for having the guts to do something you have a passion for.
Looks like an excellent addition to the area and something different- look forward to trying it and best of luck!