By Chris Hagan
Review Staff Writer
Neighboring what was formerly Applebee’s on Broadway in the Village, is a pizzeria native to Macomb County.
With 19 locations, Passport Pizza has opened their first Oakland County location, 20th overall, in Lake Orion with motivations which exceed simply pizza.
Passport Pizza’s name was derived from developing various flavor profiles that give the customer a world tour of pizzas. They bring with them a history of food service dating back 40 years as well as contemporary ordering and social media customer outreach.
‘We love the area and Orion seems like a great community,? Co-owner Susan Latour said. ‘We’re very involved with our community because there’s such a need.?
In addition to battling in Orion’s competitive pizza market, they’re also interested in creating humanitarian change.
Latour, along with her husband and Passport co-owner Mike Bischoff, were actively involved with the passage of one of Michigan’s newest laws. It is aimed at protecting restaurants. House Bill 4017 was passed on Wednesday, June 3, and will provide immunity from criminal and civil liability for certain food establishments in donating to non-profit organizations.
According to Latour, restaurants sometimes have pounds of extra food left over each night and want to donate it but because there was no law protecting the restaurant, they have been reluctant to donate that food.
‘I’m thrilled with the amount of food we’ll be able to give to the people that need it,? Latour said. ‘I was talking to someone at Outback Steakhouse and we added up just how much food they’d be able to donate per year and it worked out to be 1,831 tons per year.?
Restaurants and food establishments will pair with certain non-profit organizations that have gone through a state health department food handling class. In the health class, the receiving organizations are taught proper food handling methods and safe temperatures for foods to ensure quality is maintained.
Even before this bill was passed there still were hundreds of restaurants and food groups, like Passport Pizza, that still donated food to people who had no idea where there next meal was coming. In 2014.
Passport Pizza was the recipient of the Restaurant Neighbor Award for their activism in becoming a bridge for grocery stores and vendors to donate food. They connected with business leaders, nonprofits and community-based organizations to help youth, families, churches, single mothers and the homeless.
Passport Pizza is located at 235 S Broadway and people interested in placing an order can call 248-814-9000. Passport also offers online ordering at passportpizza.com