The first Little Caesars franchise opened its doors in Warren in 1962 and the first branch in the city of Detroit opened five years later, as indicated on the company's website. The company is now one of the largest pizza chains in the U.S. USA, with more than 4,000 establishments. Detroit-style pizza, a descendant of Sicilian-style pizza, has its roots in one man: Gus Guerra.
In 1946, Gus owned what was then a neighborhood bar, Buddy's Rendezvous, when he decided he needed something new for the menu. He enlisted the help of his wife, Anna, who borrowed a pasta recipe from her Sicilian mother. Sicilian dough, topped with cheese and tomato sauce, would become the model for pizza in Detroit. I was hooked on Little Caesars for a while, then the heat and smarts ruined everything.
My wife LOVES the pizza at the Cottage Inn. Little Caesars, one of the largest pizza chains in the country, opened its first store in 1959 in Garden City. Not only is Michigan full of great independent pizzerias, but you'll also be surprised by the number of big pizza chains that have started right here in Michigan. The characteristics of pizza (the soft and airy square crust, the crispy outside and the caramelized cheese that borders the pizza) are all due to the deep containers in which the pizzas are baked.
We also met the new star on the block, Detroit Style Pizza Company, led by world pizza champion Shawn Randazzo.
