Michael and Marian Ilitch opened a small pizza restaurant in suburban Detroit on May 8, 1959. In addition to their life savings, the couple also poured into it large amounts of time and patience. They created a simple and appealing menu that families, especially those with young children, could afford. A keen eye for detail and a hands-on management style helped them carve a place for themselves in the restaurant business. The restaurant flourished and Little Caesars Pizza was born.

Today, Little Caesars is the number one carry-out pizza chain in the world, with restaurants on five continents. The success of the Little Caesars laid the foundation for other business ventures.

Their purchase of the Detroit Red Wings Hockey Club in 1982, and their subsequent purchase of Olympia Entertainment, Inc., the management company for Joe Louis and Cobo Arenas, reinforced their interest in the city of Detroit. Through the tireless efforts of the Ilitches, their family and exceptional staff, they have transformed the once struggling Red Wings into a profitable and competitive enterprise. After winning eight divisional championships, four President’s Trophies (for the season best record among all NHL teams), five Campbell Bowls and four Stanley Cups, Detroit is now passionately known as “Hockeytown” and is the envy of all cities where hockey is played. The Red Wings have played post-season hockey for 18 consecutive years – the most in all of professional sports - and Financial World Magazine consistently ranks the Detroit hockey club as one of the most valuable franchises in the National Hockey League. In addition, TURNKEY named Mike Ilitch as the number one owner in all professional sports and Sports Illustrated named him the best owner in the NHL.

Buoyed by the challenges and successes of doing business downtown, they took a chance on the historic but neglected Fox Theatre when they purchased it in July 1987. They painstakingly restored the 5,000-seat theatre that was built in 1928 to its original splendor and reopened its doors in November 1988. Although many thought it was impossible to revive business in the theatre district, the Fox has been a great success and is consistently one of the top-grossing theatres of its size in the world. The Fox Theatre continues to attract record crowds for a mix of concerts, theatre, family shows, and restored classic films.

In addition, the Ilitches commissioned a dramatic renovation of the adjacent 10-story office building in 1989, relocated its suburban office staff, and established a world headquarters for their pizza company in the transformed office building.

Since then, the theatre district has seen a rebirth marked by the opening of other restored theatres and new restaurants, and the building of two side-by-side stadiums for the Detroit Tigers and Detroit Lions. The Ilitches have expanded upon their success in the district with the opening of Hockeytown Café (1999) next to the Fox, which has been named one of the top sports bars in the country.

Hard work and good fortune came together for Mike Ilitch when he purchased the Detroit Tigers baseball team in August 1992. Ilitch, who once played for the team’s farm system, said the purchase was a dream come true. In 2006, the Tigers captured the American League pennant for the first time in 22 years, and today continues to attract record crowds to Comerica Park.

In May 1996, Olympia Development, L.L.C., was created to focus on projects in downtown Detroit. One of the highlight projects the real estate and development company has achieved already has further enhanced the city’s Urban Entertainment District. The $295 million Comerica Park, home to the Detroit Tigers that opened on April 11, 2000, in downtown Detroit’s Theatre District paved the way for the new Detroit Lions stadium, Ford Field, which opened August 2002. Renovation of the 1923 Detroit Life Building behind the Fox Theatre is currently underway.

In 1999, Marian Ilitch invested in MotorCity Casino in Detroit, Michigan, and became its sole owner in April 2005. In 2008 MotorCity completed a $300 million expansion project adding a new luxury hotel, spa, conference center, several restaurants, an 1,800-seat theatre and permanent casino.

Because the Ilitches’ businesses have grown in size and complexity, Mike and Marian formed Ilitch Holdings, Inc., in 1999 to provide professional services to the Ilitch companies, which include: Little Caesar Enterprises, Olympia Entertainment, Olympia Development, Champion Foods, Blue Line Foodservice Distribution, Uptown Entertainment, Little Caesars Pizza Kit Fundraising Program, the Detroit Red Wings, the Detroit Tigers and MotorCity Casino Hotel. The 2008 total combined revenues for the Ilitch companies was $2 billion.