By Phil Klutts
April 19, 2022
Woodward Pizza brings friends from Detroit to Edmond
Edmond’s newest pizza restaurant was more than 20 years and 1,000 miles in the making. Woodward Pizza Company recently opened at The Ice House after two teenage friends pursued their lifelong Detroit-style dreams.
The origins
Woodward Pizza Company was founded by Detroit natives Keith Kochan and Kyle Schultz. The two started working at multiple Detroit-style pizzerias as teenagers.
“In 2001, at the ripe age of 15 years old, Kyle and I started working at Jets Pizza in Keego Habor, MI which specializes in Detroit-style pizza,” said Kochan. “After working there for a few months, we told each other that one day we would open our very own Detroit-style pizzeria.”
From high school to college and even through graduate school, Kochan and Schultz continued to dream about the pizzeria concept. Throughout the last twenty years, they lived in multiple states across the country gathering knowledge and best practices in the pizza industry.
“In September of 2018, I found myself getting older and thought if there’s any time to do the pizzeria during my life – it’s now!” said Kochan. “I called Kyle up and said it was time, and he immediately agreed. We started planning and opened our doors in March of 2022.”
The journey
Despite the dream and the drive, opening a restaurant wasn’t without challenges. The construction and launch of The Ice House and its patrons were delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic and supply chain issues, but this gave the owners plenty of time to perfect their recipes.
“Starting a year before we opened the pizzeria, Kyle, his wife Danielle, and I would make 50 pizzas in a 2-hour time period out of his double-stacked oven for his neighbors on a monthly basis,” said Kochan.
Beyond being the culinary experts, the two also serve as co-owners and managers of the restaurant. Kochan serves as the general manager and front-of-house leader, while Schultz is the financial manager and back-of-house leader.
They also hired 20 employees to serve the 45 in-house seats and facilitate to-go orders.
The pizzeria
The goal of Woodward Pizza Company is to bring authentic Detroit-style pizza along with Detroit-inspired sides and desserts to the Oklahoma City area. They serve 10 different types of the deep dish, square-cut pizza and a variety of salads and appetizers.
Their space at The Ice House food hall features a full-service bar, along with booths and high-top table seating.
“We will be adding QR codes to all the inside and courtyard area tables to allow customers to order and pay for their meals and drinks,” said Kochan. “The food will then be delivered to the tables by our servers.”
The owners also plan to support local nonprofits and charities this summer.
“What I admire most about the business is seeing the joy on customers’ faces after they try our pizza for the first time,” said Kochan.
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About Phil Klutts
Phil is an Edmond native and has managed to keep his wife here instead of traveling the world, which they both enjoy. They have two boys who love the outdoors, adventures, and learning new things. Phil is a problem-solver at heart and enjoys connecting people to the resources they need.
In addition to being the co-owner of Edmond Business, Phil founded the CK Group LLC after working for large and small businesses in the Energy, Construction, and Fitness industries. He focuses on helping small businesses and entrepreneurs improve their systems and processes. CK Group LLC's mission is to eliminate chaos and create clarity for small business by connecting vision, strategy, and implementation.