Michael Ilitch was born in 1929 in the US state of Michigan. In 1959 Ilitch, along with his wife Marian, founded Little Caesar’s Pizza in a strip mall in Garden City, Michigan, at a time when fast-food was still a novelty. Ilitch’s keen business sense helped him realize that consumers were increasingly on-the-go and convenience-based, thus making a take-out pizza business a popular alternative for family meals.
Michael Ilitch built his business by emphasizing low prices, eccentric advertising campaigns and fast, courteous service. This strategy helped Ilitch build a loyal customer base, and helped him grow to 4,700 shops in the Little Caesar chain.
After establishing himself securely in the fast-food restaurant business Ilitch expanded to sports franchises, purchasing the Detroit Red Wings National Hocky League team in 1982 helping it grow to be one of the most profitable sports franchises in the world. Ten years later Ilitch purchased another Detroit team, the Tigers, an American League baseball franchise, from his cross-town rival, Tom Monaghan, founder of Domino’s Pizza.