Ann Arbor-based Cottage Inn Carryout & Delivery is serving up slices at the newly reopened Pontiac Silverdome in a partnership the stadium and franchisor hope will be long term.

The company began dishing up its signature deep-dish pizza at the former home of the Detroit Lions in April. The event was a monster truck rally and sales rang in at over $20,000, says Bill McDonald, a Cottage Inn franchisee who is running the Silverdome operation along with locations in Auburn Hills and Shelby Township. 

Sales were far less robust at the five or so subsequent events, including a summer soccer match and high school marching band regionals, but McDonald was looking to another monster truck event scheduled for Nov. 12 to boost sales. It is the last scheduled event at the Silverdome this year.

"At this point we're on a learning curve; every event is a new experience for us," says McDonald, who has invested between $15,000 and $20,000 in the venture. "It's an opportunity for us to grow with them, to get the Cottage Inn name out there." He says the Silverdome needs one breakthrough event to reestablish it as a credible venue in metro Detroit.

McDonald has gradually brought the number of pizza stands at the Silverdome to four. In time, he hopes to separate the Silverdome operation from the Auburn Hills store.

After the Lions departed in 2002, the Silverdome gradually fell into disrepair while the city of Pontiac hatched schemes for the 81,000-seat venue, including demolition. Late last year, the property was sold at auction for a rock-bottom price of $583,000 to Toronto-based Triple Properties. A lawsuit to block the sale - brought by a local investment group that had proposed to buy the stadium - was dismissed in May.

The Silverdome's goal is to host 20 major events - or those that fill more than 30,000 seats - and 20 minor events in 2011, says Ryan Westlake, assistant general manager.

Established in 1986, Cottage Inn Carryout & Delivery has seven southeast Michigan locations, including four in the Ann Arbor area. It also has four in the Toledo area and another two in Columbus, Ohio. The Original Cottage Inn, owned by the Michos family, opened in 1948.

The company is in its second season as a presenting sponsor at Ford Field, a partnership that has worked well, says Bob Brosnahan, chief operations officer.

"We're not there for the profit at either location," he says. "It's great branding for the whole system. We're proud to have the CI (Cottage Inn) banner and logo in a venue like this."

Julie Edgar is a freelance writer for AnnArbor.com.