Mike & Marian Ilitch's Pizza Empire| May 8

About this episode

The episode discusses the founding of Little Caesars by Mike and Marian Ilitch in 1959 and its growth into a major pizza chain.

On this day in 1959, Mike and Marian Ilitch opened their first Little Caesars restaurant in Garden City, Michigan. Mike, a former Detroit Tigers farm team shortstop, turned to pizza after an injury. Their $10,000 investment grew into the world's largest carry-out pizza chain, enabling them to own other businesses in food, sports, and entertainment.

Topics covered

• pizza history
• business growth
• entrepreneurship
• sports
• food industry

Keywords

• Little Caesars
• Mike Ilitch
• Marian Ilitch
• pizza empire
• Garden City
• business success
• food chain

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Little Caesars

Places: Garden City, Michigan

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