Press Releases
Grand Traverse Pie Company Opens
East Lansing Location
First Corporate Store Opening Provides "Base Camp" for Franchisee Training
(Traverse City & East Lansing, Michigan) – October 19, 2007 – Go Green, Go White, Go Pie! Harvest-time flavors and aromas will fill the newest Grand Traverse Pie Company location this Autumn and Holiday Season. Opening its doors for the first time as a Corporate Owned Store, Grand Traverse Pie Company invite Pie and Café enthusiasts to visit the newest GTPC location at 1403 East Grand River in East Lansing, Michigan on Monday, October 22nd. Grand Traverse Pie Company will welcome patrons to its inaugural corporate owned store with the familiar "fresh baked" aromas flowing from the open air, from-scratch kitchen. The GTPC is a full-service Bakery Café in the growing "fast casual" sector occupied by Panera and Corner Bakery. The big difference is that in addition to a wonderful breakfast, lunch, and dinner offering, it's all about PIE at GTPC. Over 25 varieties of fruit, cream, meringue, and key lime pies will be available EVERY DAY, made from scratch, on-site.
The first ever GTPC Corporate Owned and Operated store provides a centrally located training facility for its franchisees. "Our first-ever corporately owned and operated store will serve as a "base camp" for our corporate personnel to travel to the outlying franchisees and assist in their development. We will be able to debut new concepts prior to introducing them throughout our franchise system – a real key to our producing quality new menu offerings. As a team, we will also use this experience to open "territories" not just stores. In this case, the greater Lansing area will become our model for the multiple shop territory in terms of distribution, labor, and marketing economies of scale", explained Mike Busley, Founder of GTPC and GTPC Franchise President.
"Our East Lansing Location is MSU friendly – we honor all MSU Student Id's with Sparty Cash! Also while students, faculty, and MSU staff enjoy free WiFi, they should look for specials offered regularly. Game-goers can pick up tailgate platters, and everyone will enjoy not only pie, lunch, dinner, but Bagels with a twist - Pie flavors and pie cream cheese!" said Busley.
With multiple varieties of pies, a Grand Traverse Pie makes for a perfect ending to any holiday gathering – from Thanksgiving to Chanukah, Christmas to New Year's. There's Holiday Helpers at every GTPC location, making gatherings at home or in the office "easy as pie". From seasonal favorites like the GTPC signature Appleicious items to stacked deli sandwiches and pinwheels, there's party fare perfect for a party of two to 200.
Visitors to the destination café famous for its cherry pie will experience all of the sights and sensations of an active "real food" kitchen. Guests are even invited to taste a sample of something "just out of the oven" – maybe the all time favorite cherry pie.
Twelve (12) GTPC Franchise locations include:
- Ann Arbor (734) 997-7902.
- Brighton (810) 225-7437
- Burton (810) 742-9743
- East Lansing (517) 203-3304
- Grand Rapids - Kentwood (616) 977-7600
- Mt. Pleasant (989) 779-2743
- Norton Shores (231) 799-3399
- Okemos (517) 381-7437
- Petoskey (231) 348-4060
- Sterling Heights (586) 323-2743
- Terre Haute, Indiana (812) 235-1582
- Traverse City (231) 922-7437
