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5 Pizza Franchises That Started Out In Michigan
Not only is Michigan full of great independent pizza restaurants, you'd be surprised by how many big pizza chains have started out here.
Not only is Michigan full of great independent pizza restaurants, you might be surprised by how many big pizza chains have started out right here in Michigan. What started out as one location for these restaurants ended up growing into some of the top pizza chains in the midwest, in the country, and in some cases, the world.
Domino’s
Domino’s got its start in Ypsilanti in 1960 and in 55 years since then, they’ve gone on to become one of the most popular pizza franchises not just in the United States, but in the world. Now headquartered in Ann Arbor, Domino’s now has over 10,000 locations. In 2010, Forbes named Domino’s the best franchise for an investor’s money.
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Little Caesars
Over 50 years after Mike and Marian Illitch opened the first Little Caesars restaurant in Garden City, the company is continuing to grow stronger than ever. In 2013, Nation’s Restaurant News named Little Caesars the #3 pizza chain in the United States and the fastest growing pizza franchise in the country, coming out ahead of franchises like Pizza Hut and Papa John’s.
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Cottage Inn
Cottage Inn Pizza has the distinction of being the first pizza restaurant in Ann Arbor. They opened their first location in 1948, but their first franchise location didn’t open until 1987. Since then, they have grown to have over 50 locations in Michigan and Ohio and have plans to continue growing with locations in Illinois.
Jet’s Pizza
Jet’s Pizza opened their first location in Sterling Heights in 1978 and started franchising in 1990. Although they don’t have locations in every state, they do have over 300 locations in several states and is ranked as one of the top pizza chains in the country.
Hungry Howie’s
The first Hungry Howie’s restaurant opened in Taylor in 1973 and branched out into franchising 10 years later. Within just three years of opening their first franchise location, they had 63 franchise locations. Over 30 years later, they now have nearly 600 locations in 20 states and have been named one of the top ten pizza franchises in the United States.
