Mother's Pizzeria Has Plymouth Township Address, Northville Heart

sits on the south side of Five Mile Rd., officially making it a Plymouth Township business. But for owner, Dan Sheehan, Northville is its home.

Sheehan has lived in Northville for 40 years. The city is in his heart and pizza’s in his blood.

“I actually started when I was ten years old," he said. "My first job was at my dad’s pizza restaurant.”

Sheehan’s father was executive vice president of Little Caesars and operated a restaurant at Seven Mile and Northville roads.

“I started as a dishwasher, bussing tables; my dad made sure I started at the bottom and worked my way up," Sheehan said.

Sheehan grew up, graduated from Catholic Central and went on to secure a degree in business administration. He considered his options but it all kept coming back pizza.   

“I’d done it for so long, it’s kind of in my blood,” he said.

Sheehan said he knew he wanted a place where people could enjoy time with their spouses, parents and children.  

“It always bothered me that there weren’t many of those types of restaurants anymore," he said. "I wanted a place where families can come, sit down and relax. Mom and Dad can have a glass of wine or a bottle of beer; the kids can have a good time and have some good pizza.”

And so Mother’s was born. The name is a tribute to his wife, Tina, who had just become a mother to their first child.

Ten years later, Mother’s welcomes customers from Northville, Plymouth and many other communities. Helping people also is a key part of Sheehan’s business philosophy.

“My dad was always about customer service," Sheehan said. "There are times we make mistakes. There is no restaurant in the world that is going to be perfect all the time, but we try and take care of our customers.”

This includes donating food for fundraisers, school and sport events. He never misses the Ice Cream Social at Amerman Elementary, where his daughter attended and son still does.

“My kids like it; it’s kind of cool for them because their friends say, 'Hey, your dad is Mother’s' — because no one knows my name.” Sheehan laughs, “I’m just Mother’s, the pizza guy. It kind of makes me feel good because that’s what I grew up with. That’s how my dad was. He was very involved in the community and everyone knew our place.”  

Family, friends, community — and of course pizza — are at the heart of everything Dan Sheehan does.

“A lot of these kids that I grew up in Northville, worked for my dad," he said. "Now those friends have children, and they now work for me. It’s a neat thing.”

Working in a business, in what seems like he was born to do, it’s hard for him to imagine himself doing anything else but pizza. Building upon his successful business, he hopes to someday expand as well.

"Northville has been good to me" he said, with a smile. It's a really great place to live."