This profile is in active compilation — some details are awaiting a cited source.

Square Pizza is a Detroit-style pizza restaurant at 208 W Maple Ave on Independence Square in Independence, MO, operated by McClain Restaurant Group (Ken & Cindy McClain).12 Family-rooted in concept — created to feed a family of eight quickly and well — Square Pizza offers made-to-order square pies built from nearly two dozen fresh toppings alongside calzones and garlic knots.1

Description

Square Pizza specializes in Detroit-style pizza — square-shaped pies with a thick, crispy crust — served in a cozy, no-frills “pizza joint” atmosphere with classic booths.1 Every pizza is made to order and can be customized from nearly two dozen toppings, or ordered from a roster of house favorites: the Square House, Mexican Taco, and Big Island pies, among others.1 The menu also includes calzones and garlic knots. Hours run Monday–Thursday 11am–9pm, Friday–Saturday 11am–10pm, Sunday 11am–8pm.1

The restaurant was born from a practical necessity: Ken and Cindy McClain, parents of six children, needed a fast, delicious, and reasonably healthy meal option for a large family.1 That family-first origin gives Square Pizza a different character from the group’s upscale concepts — it is positioned as a neighborhood staple rather than a destination dining experience.

As part of the McClain Restaurant Group, Square Pizza fits into the group’s deliberate strategy of diversifying Independence Square’s dining options across price points and cuisines, from fine dining at Ophelia’s and Italian at Café Verona to casual pizza and Mexican.3

Ownership and history

Ownership

PeriodOwner / OperatorNotes
→ presentMcClain Restaurant Group (Ken & Cindy McClain)Confirmed McClain property; founded to serve a “family of eight.”12

McClain Restaurant Group context

Ken and Cindy McClain began their Independence Square revitalization in 1998–1999 with Ophelia’s Restaurant & Inn and have since grown to 18+ local businesses over 27+ years.3 Square Pizza is one of the group’s nine food concepts. Cindy grew up in Boulder, CO, but both she and Ken have deep family ties to Independence (grandparents on both sides lived there) and chose Independence as a deliberate homecoming and community investment.3

Other McClain Restaurant Group properties on Independence Square include clintons-soda-fountain, cafe-verona, el-pico, and main-street-coffee-house.

Sources

Disputes

None at this time.

Footnotes

  1. Square Pizza official website — About. https://squarepizzasquared.com/about/ — Asserts: 208 W Maple Ave, Independence, MO 64050; Detroit-style square pizza; made to order from ~24 toppings; Square House, Mexican Taco, Big Island signature pies; calzones and garlic knots; “created out of a love for pizza and the need for a family of eight”; Ken and Cindy McClain founders; hours Mon–Thu 11am–9pm, Fri–Sat 11am–10pm, Sun 11am–8pm. ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6 ↩7

  2. The Independent — “Palatable Pursuits: Trailblazer Cindy McClain.” https://kcindependent.com/palatable-pursuits-trailblazer-cindy-mcclain/ — Asserts: Square Pizza is one of nine food concepts under McClain Restaurant Group; Cindy McClain is president. ↩ ↩2

  3. Ophelia’s Restaurant — About Us. https://opheliasrestaurant.com/about-us/ — Asserts: McClains purchased first Independence Square building in 1999; intention to revive the Square; 18+ businesses. ↩ ↩2 ↩3

See also

  • Registry
  • Owner-And-History-Research-Toolchain
  • _Tier1-Non-Service-Local-Businesses
Categories
  • Locally owned
  • Independence Square Mo