When Mike and Marian Ilitch opened their first Little Caesars restaurant in Garden City, Michigan in 1959, little did they dream one restaurant would grow into the world's number one carry-out pizza chain. However, with Mike's marketing genius and natural gift for product development, and Marian's wise financial management, this dynamic duo took the pizza business by storm and made Little Caesars into a household word. Visions of making money in the pizza business danced in Mike Ilitch's head when he persuaded a local nightclub owner on Detroit's West Side to let him make pizzas in a kitchen in the back. Even though pizza at the time was considered a teen-age snack food, business boomed.

Mike, however, was on another career path as a talented shortstop, with a remarkable batting average on the Detroit Tigers farm team. While waiting to get called up to the big league, he traveled from city to city with the farm team. When his teammates would be looking for the local ballpark, he would be eyeing the local pizza joint to sample its product and learn more about the business. Pizza was clearly in his blood.

An Injury prompted Mike decided to trade in his baseball glove for hot pads, but he didn't have the capital to invest.

Over the next few years, Mike worked hard at door-to-door sales and later with partners in an awning business. Marian was managing their finances and building up their nest egg to achieve their dream of owning their own business. In 1959, that savings account reached a grand total of $10,000, and they began formulating a plan for their first pizza restaurant.

They chose the Detroit suburb of Garden City and a new convenient place to shop called a "strip mall" for their first site. They needed a name. Mike liked the name Pizza Treat, but Marian tried to think of what suited Mike. They had only been married four years, and he was her hero even though he hadn't accomplished much - yet! "I considered him my 'little' Caesar," said Marian. And the name was born. Their restaurant would carry the name Little Caesars Pizza Treat.

It cost about $25,000 to open the doors of that first Little Caesars. With only $10,000 saved, they borrowed an additional $15,000, committing to monthly payments of $500 for three years. It was an exciting time for Mike and Marian Ilitch as they worked together toward that grand opening day of May 8, 1959.
Today, Little Caesars Pizza remains family owned and operated.