MAY 7 • 2020 | 45

Happy anniversary 
to Little Caesars.

the best of everything
Raskin

Pizza! Pizza!

A 

success story may never 
go out of style … And 
one always remembered 
by many had its beginning back 
on May 8, 1959, when Mike 
and Marian Ilitch 
opened their first 
pizza-making 
oven under the 
name then of Little 
Caesar’
s Pizza 
Treat. 
They had met 
each other on a 
blind date that Mike’
s father had 
arranged for them in 1954 … and 
a year later, the two Macedonian 
love birds, Mike Ilitch and Marian 

Bayoff, became husband and wife. 
Celebrating its 61st anniversary, 
the word “treat” is long gone from 
its name … as is the apostrophe 
… and the Little Caesars Pizza 
chain is today known worldwide 
and ranks third among the largest 
pizza franchises in the United 
States … It follows only Pizza 
Hut and localite Tom Monaghan’
s 
Domino’
s Pizza, from whom 
Mike, a former baseball minor 
leaguer, and Marian purchased 
the Detroit Tigers … a great love 
second only to Mike and Marian 
and their seven children … Their 
son, Christopher (Chris), who 
today is its CEO and president, 
was Detroit Jewish News Athlete 
of the Year as a hockey star while 
attending Cranbrook Kingswood 
High Scool … Mike that eve-
ning was given the Alvin Foon 
Humanitarian Award … He and 
Marian certainly had been that! 
Mike passed on in 2017 … and 
much-liked and gracious Marian 
continues to be loved by many.
WHEN RESTAURANTS open 
again, those on the lakes, like Joe 

and Rosalie Vicari’
s Brownies 
on the Lake (Lake St. Clair), can 
again welcome customers to dock 
and have meals either in its eat-
ery, outside on the patio or to get 
carry-outs and dine on their boat 
… Work on Joe’
s Statler Bistro 
to come is at a standstill that has 
forced a latter opening to the first 
quarter of 2021 … Also, offers 
by Joe Vicari for a Las Vegas Joe 
Muer are still in the works, along 
with the dual concept of a Joe 
Muer and Andiamo in Nashville, 
Tennessee.
EUGENE FOO, owner of Kow 
Know Inn, used to tell of the time 
he had a waiter who was scared 
stiff of a neighborhood dog … 
Eugene asked him one day if he 
didn’
t know of the old proverb 
that a barking dog never bites … 
And the waiter replied, “Sure, me 
know proverb, you know proverb, 
but do dog know proverb?”
MAIL DEPT. … From Joshua 
“Josh” Goldfaden … “I truly 
enjoyed the meatloaf sandwich 
at the Stage Delicatessen. It is 
definitely the best sandwich I 

have ever had!”
REARVIEW MIRROR … 
Seeing Denny McClain, former 
30-game-winner for the Detroit 
Tigers … and Leon Spinks, for-
mer world boxing champion, at a 
local restaurant … McLain was its 
pianist … and Spinks was work-
ing the door.
OLDIE BUT GOODIE … Two 
little youngsters were coming 
down the stairs without a stitch 
of clothing on … The mother 
dropped her cards on the table 
and screamed, “What do you 
mean by coming downstairs 
undressed?”
“See, smarty,
” said one kid to 
the other. “I told you mom’
s van-
ishing cream wouldn’
t work.
”
CONGRATS … To David 
Sachs on his birthday …To Jon 
Isenberg on his birthday …To 
Mallory Sharpe on her birthday 
… To Marsha Moss on her 8oth 
birthday … To Marvin Kozlowski 
on his 100th birthday. 

Danny’
s email address is 
dannyraskin2132@gmail.com.

Danny Raskin
Senior Columnist

VIA LITTLE CAESARS FACEBOOK

Chris and Marian Ilitch

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