Grand Traverse Pie Company in Petoskey

Sept. 13, 2006

The Food Network’s Mario Batali calls Grand Traverse Pie Company’s Cherry Crumb Pie “...a religious experience” and says he doesn’t think he’s “ever had as good a pie as that one.”  Petoskey GT Pie Company owner Scott Byrd says that their Apple Crumb Pie with Caramel and Pecans is “tough to beat.”  And local customers are continuing those glowing reviews by their quickly growing patronage of Petoskey’s newest bakery cafe.  
Opened by Jenifer and Scott Byrd on July 19 on Mitchell Street, the local franchise of Grand Traverse Pie Company is carrying on a pie tradition that reaches back 10 years to the original GT Pie Company, which was founded by Mike and Denise Busley on (coincidentally!) July 19, 1996 in Traverse City. 
Mike and Denise still operate the first pie company, making it the example for all of the other franchises;  each of the eight shops are independent, but the business as a whole has been featured on Business Week, US News and World Report, Men’s Journal, Travel Holiday, Home and Garden Television, and the aforementioned Food Network. 

BYRDS ON THE WING
The Byrds were rightly impressed with what the company had accomplished so far - and, of course, they were impressed with those delicious pies - and that’s how they became involved in opening their own cafe.
“My wife had visited a GT Pie Company downstate,” Scott Byrd explains, “and she came home one evening and said that she thought it would be a good fit for Petoskey, so we ended up driving down that very same night to the GT Pie Company in Norton Shores, Michigan.” 
Byrd and his wife Jenifer were taken with both the foods and with the cafe’s style, which Byrd calls “old philosophy,” and which includes seat-yourself counter service that, as Byrd puts it, “makes for a very warm and inviting atmosphere to enjoy your breakfast, lunch, dinner, or just a slice of pie and coffee.”
In spite of the usual apprehensions about opening something so new in Petoskey, and, of course, about making such a large investment, the Byrds knew that they were on to something special. 
“I have had people tell me that they have traveled the world, and this is by far the best pie they have ever had,” Byrd says, “that makes us very proud of our bakery team, and also confident that we made the right decision.  As a family, we believe in the Petoskey downtown region, we got a lot of help from the Petoskey Chamber of Commerce, and we’ve had an overwhelming response so far.”

FRIENDLY POLICY
That response obviously has a lot to do with the pies, but it also has to do with the company’s friendly, relaxed customer relations policy, and the additional expanded menu, which offers all sorts of tasty treats for any time of day. The menu is complete breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and, says Scott Byrd, “a whole lot of pie.” 
Most popular so far outside of the sweet pies range are the pot pies, especially the Chicken Pot Pie, and the Asian Chicken Salad and Cherry Chicken Salad sandwiches are also hot sellers.  The breakfast menu offers “Buddys”  of spinach and artichoke, ham and onion, or a sweet coffee cake Buddy; there are breakfast sandwiches, muffins, and fruit as well.  For lunch or dinner, there are plenty of sandwiches and salads, from Egg Salad sandwiches, BLTs, and a Grand Traverse Club to their signature Grilled Sand Dune (their version of a Reuben), their Quesadillas, Salads, and Wraps. 
There’s also a daily soup, and, in addition to the Chicken Pot Pie, there’s a delicious Prime Rib Pot Pie and several varieties of gourmet Quiche.  And it’s all made fresh, fresh, fresh. 
“All of the items within our shop are made at this location,” Byrd explains, “nothing is brought in pre-made.  This is truly a scratch bakery; we have the capability to produce around 2,000 pies a day if needed, and we bake 7 days a week.”  

50 VARIETIES
And how about those famous pies?  “We have the old fashioned pastry top pie, and crumb top pies as well,” Byrd points out.  The pies are available by the slice or as an entire pie, and special orders, placed by the end of a business day, will be available by around 10 am the very next day.  With over 50 varieties of pie to choose from, you could try a different pie for nearly every week in the year.  There are several different varieties alone of cherry and apple pies, including the East Bay Natural Apple, the Old Mission Cherry Pie, and the Long Lake Berry Cherry;  but wait, there’s even more.  Keep things fruity with their Suttons Bay Blueberry pie, the Union Street Peach Strawberry, or the Tall Ship Blackberry Peach Cobbler.  Welcome autumn with the Autumn Harvest Pecan or Northport Pumpkin.  Or try something a little richer with a Key West Key Lime Pie, a Chocolate Mocha Pie, or a Butterscotch Pie.  That’s a lot of dessert - and you can even take the time to enjoy it, unlike other chain restaurants that are focused on getting the customer in and out quickly.
“Our Petoskey cafe is truly a relaxed atmosphere,” Byrd says, “we have wi-fi, and we have several different types of seating available, including an area to enjoy a cup of coffee, read the local paper, and, of course, consume a slice of pie.  We have some top secret things coming up for the change of seasons, too, so stop by and check it out - you will not be disappointed.”
 

Grand Traverse Pie Company is located at 316 E. Mitchell Street in downtown Petoskey, telephone 231-348-4060.  Other locations are scattered across the state of Michigan, including a location in Traverse City.  They may also be visited online at www.gtpie.com.