When Jonesville High School challenged the Hillsdale Cottage Inn Pizza to deliver more than 150 pizzas to six public schools in less than an hour in 2016, Cottage Inn delivered.
Prompted by Bob Drake, a guidance counselor at Jonesville High School, Cottage Inn Pizza delivered 156 pizzas to six schools in less than an hour on the school’s college Decision Day. This year, however, Cottage Inn only brought 50 pizzas to high-schoolers at Hillsdale High School for 2017’s decision day, due to conflicting high school schedules.
Despite the lower delivery rate this year, the event took extensive planning, including determining what time each pizza would go in the oven and how much staff would be needed to keep the restaurant open while the pizzas were being delivered.
“It was crazy but absolutely the best day ever,” Olmstead said.
‘Decision Day’ is a tradition at the public schools in the area that invites students and their parents to commemorate their future plans.
“We celebrate every student’s decision whether it’s college, trade school, military, or employment,” said Drake.
Students at Hillsdale High School, Jonesville High School, Litchfield High School, Pittsford High School, North Adams-Jerome and Waldron High School enjoyed the results of Cottage Inn’s planning.
“Some of the schools were outside our delivery zone and many of the lunch times were the same at the high schools,” Olmstead said. “Because we have a double oven, making the pizzas was not the problem. Coordinating how we would deliver the pizzas was the challenge.”
After purchasing Cottage Inn Pizza three years ago, Olmstead knew she wanted to support the Hillsdale community.
“We are so happy to re-establish roots in the community,” she said.
In the past, Cottage Inn has helped local churches and organizations fundraise for mission trips as well as community endeavors.
Olmstead said she is hopeful that the high schools in the area will coordinate their Decision Days in the future so Cottage Inn can continue their pizza delivery tradition.
