Toppers was recently featured in QSR!

The Renovation Rush
By Daniel P. Smith- QSR May Issue

Operators plan on committing more of their resources to redesigns and renovations in 2010 as they try to stay relevant for consumers.

Four years ago, the winds of change moved Scott Gittrich, an experience that the Toppers Pizza CEO is appreciative for these days as his Wisconsin-based pizza chain pushes into a new decade with promise and purpose.

While working with an advertising agency, Gittrich and his Toppers leadership team noted their success with teens and twentysomethings, a revelation that sparked a multiyear plan to renovate existing restaurants and build new outlets with a more casual, youthful edge.

“Our existing stores were built like fast food places, but that wasn’t how our customers perceived us,” Gittrich says. “If we were going to realize our potential, then we needed to embrace our late-night, burn-the-candle-at-both-ends image, and that meant we needed to change our prototype store.”

A year later, Gittrich and his design firm settled on a snazzy, modern, and cost-effective store design that converted Toppers’ stores from quick service to fast casual. Today’s Toppers feature loft-like ceilings, exposed brick, earth tone­–colored walls, and lounge seating, a far cry from the checkered tile floor and laminate tables of yesteryear.

“We think the physical space reflects the way customers perceive the quality of our food,” Gittrich says. “And we didn’t want to look like fast food pizza.”

The company spent the last two years converting half of its 25 stores, with remaining locations on target for redesign by the end of 2013, a timeline acknowledging the reality of lease negotiations rather than any hesitance or lack of excitement on Gittrich’s part.

“We feel we’ve got a store design now that represents our brand and showcases our food in an exciting way,” Gittrich says. “We couldn’t be happier we made the decision to renovate. Sales are increasing at our converted stores and customers are responding favorably to the changes.”

Though costly in both time and money, renovations like Toppers’ are likely to blanket the 2010 restaurant industry landscape. Looking to capitalize on brighter economic prospects and resurrect slumping recession sales, operators are expected to turn to renovation as an avenue to spark consumer interest, refresh the brand and its individual locations, and position the company for long-term success. (Read More)