Toppers Pizza featured in Cincinnati Enquirer

Toppers Pizza was recently featured in the Cincinnati Enquirer in an article titled, "Toppers Pizza open in Highland Heights". The article talks of the new Toppers opening in Highland Heights and mentions the owners – Ricky and Dave Fullarton. It goes on to mention Toppers targets the college-aged market and briefly describes the Toppers concept. Click here to read the full article or begin reading below.

Toppers Pizza open in Highland Heights
by Shauna Steigerwald

The new Toppers Pizza in Highland Heights opened last weekend. It’s at at 2517 Wilson Ave., across the street from Northern Kentucky University.

Dave Fullarton, who owns the restaurant and another Toppers near the University of Cincinnati with his father, Bill, and brother, Ricky, said the chain targets college students and young adults with its irreverent sense of humor, its atmosphere — with flat screen TVs, couches and funny postings on the walls — and comfort-food offerings such as mac and cheese pizza and “Hangover Helper” pizza.

(Read More)

Toppers Pizza featured in New York Times

Toppers was recently featured in the New York Times in an article entitled, "Opening Big Without Spending a Fortune". The article talks about strategies for small businesses to increase awareness for a grand opening by engaging with the customer in ways other than conventional advertising. It mentions Toppers’ approach for its grand opening in South Milwaukee, saying the location gave away a year of free food. The article goes on to add that some people camped out for two days to stake their claim. Also, while in line, customers were treated to Toppers menu items, and employees hosted competitions (including a dough throw) to keep the crowd warm and happy. It adds that to promote the event, Toppers used social media and did a mailing to 10,000 people in the area at a cost of $3,000. It received coverage from the local TV affiliates. A portion of the article is included below and can be read in its entirety by clicking here.

Opening Big Without Spending a Fortune

In late October, a Toppers Pizza opened in South Milwaukee, Wis., and gave away a year of free food — a coupon book with one free item per week — to the first 50 in line. Some people camped out for two days to stake their claim. While in line, they were treated to Toppers menu items, and employees hosted competitions (including a dough throw) to keep the crowd warm and happy. To promote the event, Toppers used social media and did a mailing to 10,000 people in the area at a cost of $3,000. It received coverage from the local TV affiliates.
(Read More)

Toppers featured in Chicago Tribune

Toppers was recently featured in the Chicago Tribune. The article, written by Erin Chan Ding gives a comprehensive overview of the Toppers Pizza chain, including its college-aged demographic, menu items, company sales, number of locations and even how much it costs to invest in a franchise. The article goes on to profile Greektown owner Robin Pearce. It also includes perspective from a pizza customer and a local pizza store owner. It includes quotes from Pearce, president Scott Gittrich and director of franchise development Scott Iversen. A portion of the article is included below and can be read in its entirety by clicking here.
Chain bets on Chicago's pizza appetite
Wisconsin-based Toppers enters city with Greektown location, plans more

In a formerly empty Greektown storefront, one of Chicago's newest pizza places opens Saturday, serving up a cheeky attitude, laid-back decor and quirky fare aimed at pleasing the college kids and 20-somethings it's aiming to attract.

Slogans for Toppers Pizza dot the windows, declaring: "Spank Your Buds" and "Bad Pizza Sucks.'' Its menu says, "For a Free Taste of Big-Chain Pizza Just Eat the Cardboard Under Ours."

"Yeah, we're kind of sophomoric," said Scott Gittrich, president of Toppers Pizza Inc., a chain based in Whitewater, Wis. "We talk smack with our customers. We talk smack with each other. We've just always been like that."

Reveling in its own irreverence, Toppers has served its carb-laden food to Midwestern 18- to 24-year-olds for the past 20 years and now has big plans for more units here. But there's a big question to be answered: Can a place that sells mac-and-cheese or potato pizzas survive in a town known for its pizza prowess?

"The reason we think we can make it in Chicago and that we will make it is that there are several million proven pizza lovers in Chicago," said Gittrich, 48, who started Toppers in 1991. "We have a distinct place in the market. We don't do it the way other people do it. The way we talk to our customer, our menu, the way we interact with our customer is simply different."

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Toppers featured on Cincinnati.com

Recently, Toppers was featured on Cincinnati.com. The blog post mentions Toppers' Highland Heights’ Dec. 10 grand opening and the promotion of the first 50 people in line get free food for a year. It mentions the Highland Heights location is the second for the father-son trio of Fullartons, with a quote from Dave Fullarton. Below is a portion of the article and it can be read in its entirety by clicking here.
Toppers Pizza coming to Highland Heights

A new Toppers Pizza will open in Highland Heights on Dec. 10, and at their grand opening will give away free food for a year to the first 50 people in line.

It will be the second Toppers in the Greater Cincinnati area. Bob Fullarton and his sons Dave and Ricky own and operate the first location near the University of Cincinnati and this new one, which is across the street from the entrance to Northern Kentucky University at 2517 Wilson Ave.

The two locations near colleges are no coincidence: Toppers is aimed squarely at the college-age demographic, with their comfort-food choices like macaroni and cheese pizza, couches to lounge on while waiting for dinner, and pizzas like The Hangover Helper. Both locations keep college student hours, too: 10:30 a.m.-3 a.m. daily. Dave Fullarton said that the pizza crust is made with fresh dough on site.

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Toppers launches new look on Facebook

Toppers has recently released a new look on their national Facebook page. Over the summer, Toppers was focused on promoting the launch of their food tuck, Spank Tank. The new main image on Toppers Facebook page now highlights the Tall Boy, a fusion between Topperstix and pizza. This change also includes the launch of the Show Us Your Tall Boy video contest. Details on the contest and how you could win $250 can be found here.

Toppers featured in Milwaukee Business Journal

Toppers was recently featured in an article in the Milwaukee Business Journal. The article highlighted Toppers newest opening in South Shore, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The reporter, Stacy Vogel Davis, also lends her personal experience with Toppers in the article, writing her memories of the Bay View opening last October. A portion of the article is below and can be read in its entirety by clicking here.

Toppers opens Saturday in South Milwaukee

Another Toppers Pizza is opening in the Milwaukee area, continuing the chain’s growth in southeast Wisconsin.

The restaurant, Toppers’ 10th in the Milwaukee area, will open Saturday at 2971 S. Chicago Ave. in South Milwaukee. Franchisee Dave Gilewski also owns a Toppers in Franklin.

The new shop will continue Toppers’ tradition of giving away free pizza for a year to the first 50 people through the door Saturday. When the Bay View Toppers opened last October, I saw people lined up outside the night before to ensure they were part of the lucky 50.

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Toppers Launches Show Us Your Tall Boy™ Video Contest

Toppers has recently launched its next social media contest, Show Us Your Tall Boy™ Video Contest. The contest is open to all fans of their national Facebook fan page, which can be found here. Toppers' contest asks their fans to submit creative videos through a tab on their Facebook page. After the submission period is complete, the fans of the page will be able to vote for their favorites. The submission which receives the most votes will receive a $250 Toppers gift card and forever be enshrined in the Toppers Fans Hall of Fame.

To enter the learn more about the contest or submit your creative video today, become a fan of their fan page by clicking here.

Toppers featured in La Crosse Tribune & Courier-Life

Toppers Pizza was recently featured in an article in the La Crosse Tribune and Courier-Life. The article informs readers of Toppers’ Oct. 12 partnership with the Onalaska-La Crosse Fire Department, saying firefighters will deliver pizza to Toppers customers from 4:30 p.m.-8 p.m. and replace smoke detector batteries and provide smoke detectors for those needing one. The brief also includes Toppers’ number for delivery. A portion of the article is included below and can be read in its entirety by clicking here.

OFD to deliver pizza, fire safety help Oct. 12

Topper’s Pizza and the Onalaska Fire Department are joining forces to make sure home smoke detectors are in working order.

When a pizza is ordered 4:30 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 12, customers can request that firefighters bring their pizza and check their smoke detectors. Toppers will provide batteries and smoke detectors, if needed. Call 779-7979 to order a pizza.

(Read More)

Franchisee Profile: Vishal Bhatnagar, Franchisee of Menomonee Falls, WI

Recently, we sat down with one of our newest franchisees, Vishal Bhatnagar, opening a Toppers location in Menomonee Falls, WI on January 26, 2012. Read below to find out his background and the process he went through to become a franchisee of Toppers Pizza.

Q: Where are you from?
A: I am originally from India although I spent most of my childhood and teenage years in Kenya. My family moved to Africa when I was seven and I stayed until I was 18.

Q: What was your career before franchising?
A: I came to the United States to go to college. I attended Purdue University and earned a degree in aviation technology. Unfortunately, the events of 9/11 made it very hard to get a job in my field, as many of those jobs were being eliminated so I went to New York and worked for an engineering company. After a year of working there, my visa expired and I was forced to go back to my home country of India. Even though it wasn’t the most ideal situation, it gave me a chance to know the country of my origin. I also went back to school for my MBA and upon completing that, I worked for the largest coffee exporter in India. While there, I met my wife, Shruti, and we got married. During this time, my parents had applied for my Greencard so I could get back to the United States. In 2009, I was granted it and left India to come back to the U.S.

My dad had got into franchising in the U.S. and bought a Quality Inn & Suites in Menomonee so when I came back to the states, I helped him run that business. I’ve been doing that for the last 2.5 years and now I’m desiring to change things up a bit.

Q: How did you learn about the brand?
A: Toppers is very established in Whitewater, WI which is where my cousin went to school. My uncle also lives in Whitewater. I was initially exposed to the brand through them. It’s been a part of my life since 1998 or so.

Q: Why did you decide to open your own business?
A: My MBA has really added value to my understanding of running a business. With that background and the experience of helping my dad with the hotel for several years, I feel like I have the necessary skills to be a great business owner. I’ve also been very successful on the marketing front. Shruti, my wife, has a degree in restaurant and hospitality management and will be helping me part time with the new location. I believe that we have the necessary business skills and industry knowledge to be very successful!

Q: What was appealing to you about joining a franchise system?
A: I like the support of a franchise system. The hotel is also a franchise and I know from that experience about the tremendous amount of support corporate provides. I like that everything is standardized which helps with brand recognition and a consistent brand proposition. One very appealing thing about joining Toppers is that I’m getting involved in its prime growth stage. When the company really takes off into a national brand, I believe it will be very beneficial for me.

Q: With regard to your previous experience, what skills do you feel helped you in your business?
A: I believe my marketing experience will help me the most in this new business. I worked in an integrated marketing communication position at the coffee company in India. I was responsible for national marketing opportunities. I brought new ideas to market the product. I look at marketing as a holistic approach where there are several different pieces to the puzzle that make the engine run. I also have an appreciation for the customer experience and understanding consumer needs – all of which will be critical to build up my business. Fortunately, I am very familiar with Menomonee since the hotel is also in the area. It gives me a leg up on knowing how to cater to the consumers in the area.

Q: What obstacles have you overcome to get where you are today with your business?
A: Personally, I had to overcome the challenges of having to go back to India because my visa expired. Ideally I would have found a work visa to be able to stay in the U.S., but I look at that positively because I got my MBA, was able to get to know my home country, and met my wife.

Q: What are your expansion or development plans?
A: Yes. I would love to keep developing new Toppers locations. I’m in for as many as Toppers can give me in the future.

Share A Meal: Toppers Pizza Forms National Partnership with Feeding America

There’s no better birthday present than giving to those in need. That’s what Scott Gittrich, Founder and CEO of Toppers Pizza, thought when the brand turned 20 years old this year. Therefore, on the heels of its milestone birthday, Toppers Pizza announced a new partnership with the nation’s leading domestic hunger-relief charity, Feeding America®.

“The Toppers Pizza executive team spent a lot of time choosing a charity that aligns with our mission,” said Gittrich. “At the end of the day, Feeding America® encompasses what we stand for, which is feeding people.”

Every dollar donated will help provide eight meals for Feeding America. Even prior to Toppers officially launching the partnership on August 8, it has raised $8,000 from employee contributions, putting it nearer to its year-end goal of $40,000.

According to Gittrich, another reason the booming pizza franchise selected Feeding America® as its national charity is because they reached an agreement where 75% of the money raised goes back to the local market in which it was raised.

“Our franchisees are fully ingrained in their local markets and the fact that Feeding America was able to work with us so that the monetary contributions raised for Feeding America® in a local market will directly impact that market was huge for us,” Gittrich said.

As Toppers Pizza continues to expand nationwide through its franchising model, the relationship with Feeding America® will continue to grow as well. Next year, it has committed to donate a minimum of $70,000, which helps provide 560,000 meals. When it adds 100 locations by 2013, it has promised Feeding America® a minimum $100,000, which helps provide 800,000 meals.

All franchisees will make Feeding America® a focal point at their specific locations, from Topperstix eating contests to special menu promotions. Toppers franchisees will also ask the community to help it achieve its goals through special campaigns and partnerships with their local food banks..

“This is a partnership that we hope will last another 20 years when we are celebrating our 40th birthday. By that time, hopefully we will have donated millions of dollars and helped millions of hungry people,” said Gittrich.

Toppers featured on 95.9 KISS FM

Toppers was recently featured in a segment on 95.9 KISS FM Green Bay featuring Joe Kirschling , owner of Toppers Pizza in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The segment features Joe chatting about the line that is already forming outside of the restaurant for the first 50 customers to get free pizza for a year. Joe along with his partner Aaron Johnson have set a new record by having the earliest person in line outside of their newest location. The segment can be heard below:

Toppers Pizza featured in Green Bay Press Gazette

Toppers Pizza was recently featured in an article in the Green Bay Press Gazette called, “Toppers Pizza plans grand opening on Green Bay's west side” which published Sunday, September 4. The article highlights the Grand Opening event and how the first 50 people in line will receive free pizza for a year. A portion of the article is included below and can be read in its entirety by clicking here.

Toppers Pizza plans grand opening on Green Bay's west side

Toppers Pizza has scheduled a grand opening on Saturday for its new west-side store in the Market Square shopping center at the intersection of Military and Shawano avenues.

The event will be from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and include a variety of giveaways, including free food for a year to the first 50 people in line who buy at least $10 worth of stuff. They'll get coupons for a free item each week, such as a large two-topping pizza or triple order of toppers sticks.

The store is owned by Aaron Johnson and Joe Kirschling, who also own the store at 2042 Main St. Jason Schmitzer is store manager.

(Read More)

Toppers featured on PizzaMarketplace.com

Toppers Pizza was recently featured in an article called, “Do you know where your customers are?” which published on PizzaMarketplace.com. The article features an interview with Bridget Keeler, marketing manager for Toppers Pizza, who discussed how the Toppers mobile food truck, the Spank Tank, relies on location-based marketing to alert customers on where they can find the truck. Bridget discussed the benefit of using Foursquare and Twitter as a means to broadcast the Spank Tank’s location as well as deals and specials that might be featured by using the location-based social media. The article also highlights the ease with which Foursquare can be implemented and the importance of training the Spank Tank staff on how to use the technology. A portion of the article is below and can be read in its entirety by clicking here.

Do you know where your customers are?

Wisconsin-based Toppers Pizza uses FourSquare and Twitter's GPS function to let its fans know the location of its mobile food truck, the Spank Tank.

"If the Spank Tank is headed to Milwaukee, we can do a search throughout the day/night on Twitter about those talking about the Spank Tank in the Milwaukee market," said Bridget Keeler's, marketing manager of Toppers Pizza. "We can then reach out to them and message them about our presence and tell them about menu items and deals."

Toppers, which has 29 locations but only one food truck, also uses Foursquare as a way to connect with customers.

"We closely monitor the trends of our core demographic, the college student, and saw an opportunity within those trends to tap into marketing the Spank Tank as a mobile venue," Keeler said. "We are able to change as the Spank Tank moves around downtown Milwaukee. This gives our fanatics an easy way to figure out where to feed their appetites at night."

(Read More)

Toppers Featured in Franchising World Magazine

Scott Iversen, Director of Marketing for Toppers Pizza, was featured in this month’s edition of Franchising World in an article he wrote called “Using Foursquare to Drive Sales for Franchisees. In the article, Iversen discusses best practices for businesses to become involved in using Foursquare. View the full article below:

Toppers Pizza Rewards Twin Cities with Reprieve from the Big Chain

WHITEWATER, WI – The big pizza chains serve their purpose: mediocre food; mediocre promises; mediocre connections. Toppers Pizza, a 30-unit eclectic pizza delivery franchise brand, doesn’t follow those characteristics. To prove its tasty promise to consumers, Toppers will celebrate this reprieve with two grand opening celebrations unmatched by the big guns at its two new locations in Minneapolis and St. Paul.

At 10:30 a.m. August 6 at 702 Washington Ave. SE, Minneapolis and again at 10:30 a.m. August 27 at 1154 Grand Avenue, St. Paul, Toppers Pizza will unleash its two newest locations to hundreds of “fanatics.” In addition, Toppers will give the first 50 guests in line free food for a year and reward fans that day with prizes and giveaway rewards.

“When we open a location, it truly is a celebration. No fake grand openings with boring ribbon cuttings. We go for the grand slam with the way we open, the way we connect with our customers, and the tastes we offer on our menu,” said Scott Gittrich, CEO of the emerging chain and former Dominos Pizza delivery driver. “Trust me; I quickly learned what not to do with our customer bonds. This is their party, not ours.”

Along with its ability to tap into the most influential demographic, 18-34 year olds, Toppers has made a name for itself as innovators of unique menu items. Toppers was the first delivery brand to capture the cheesy bread marketplace with its famous Topperstix. Toppers has never shied away from innovation with its Mac ‘N Cheese, Potato Topper, Cool C-B-R (Chicken-Bacon-Ranch), The Hangover Helper, Buffalo Wings, Quesadillas, Grinders, and dozens of other menu items. Differentiating itself from the competition, 70 percent of Toppers’ sales come from items not traditionally found on competitors’ menus.

Continuing Toppers Pizza’s penetration into the Minneapolis market on August 6 is multi-unit entrepreneur and pizza lover, John Kubisiak, who was first attracted to the brand as a customer. Today, he owns four locations, with an obligation to develop an additional three in Minneapolis. Then just three weeks later, first time entrepreneurs, Dan Ogiba and Brad Vinton, will open the first St. Paul Toppers Pizza location.

The two new locations are part of the initial growth strategy for Toppers Pizza’s saturation of the Twin Cities. There are eight locations under contract for development in the Twin Cities, including one slated to open in December.

“As we grow, like a balloon, out of Wisconsin and into surrounding states and then nationwide, we want to maintain a stronghold on top-tier franchisees. By doing so, we can maintain our core culture, our brand evolution, and our methodical growth pattern,” Brett Larrabee, Toppers Pizza Director of Franchise Development, said, noting that the two new Twin Cities Toppers features the brand’s newest blueprint with an updated, vibrant, “chill”-friendly atmosphere.

When the big chains are down, Toppers has remained up, taking names and gripping its share of the $40-plus-billlion pizza industry. In 2010, Toppers increased average unit volumes and system-wide sales, opening four stores with 20 more under contract. Why?

“The reason for our success is simple, meaning that we are not one of the ‘Wal-Marts’ of the industry. The big chains have lost identity and brand connection,” Gittrich said. “Our customers are fanatical about our brand. Our quirkiness and edginess has given our brand character, so we have been able to continue our growth and bonding with an untapped national demographic – the 18-34-year olds.”

Toppers Social Media Update: Spank Tank, Photo Contest & More!

For those loyal Toppers fanatics that have been on the Toppers Facebook fan page for awhile, they have certainly noticed a change in both look and feel. In the recent weeks, with the unveiling of the Toppers Spank Tank, Toppers has re-designed their page by changing their fan page photo (which includes a dandy QR code) as well as added a tab that gives fanatics the opportunity to request the Spank Tank in their area. These technological advances in the fan page will continue to roll out as Toppers has plans to announce some pretty big things in the near future!

Toppers also wrapped up their 20th Anniversary Photo Contest last week. After receiving a ton of entries, finalists were narrowed down to the top 10. These finalists were then featured at the Toppers Annual Convention in Orlando, FL in front of all franchisees in the system. After the convention, franchisees and fans alike went online and voted for their favorite 1991 photo. The winner received a $250 Toppers Gift Card and eternal fame in the Toppers fanatical social community.

Toppers continues to push the envelop in both their marketing and social presence and have plans to launch another significant social imitative in the very near future. To find out more, become a fan and get your buds spanked on Toppers national Facebook fan page by clicking here.

Toppers Pizza featured in Franchise Chatter

Franchise Chatter recently featured a bud spankin' interview with Brett Larrabee, Director of Franchise Development. The article is a Q&A format in which Brett describes why Toppers is a great franchise opportunity. A portion of the interview is below but the article can be read in its entirety by clicking here.

Interested in Owning a Pizza Franchise? You Really Need to Read My Interview with Brett Larrabee, Director of Franchise Development for Toppers Pizza
by Ambrosio

Brett Larrabee started out as a Subway franchisee back in 1986 and built 6 Subway stores. He went on to work with several franchise companies in Florida – Circle K and Burger King, to name a few. Brett became the Franchise Director at Panchero’s for several years and then the Director of Operations with Five Guys in New York City, before coming to Toppers Pizza as Director of Franchise Development.

1. What made you decide to join Toppers Pizza as Director of Franchise Development?

There are a lot of companies that franchise their concept but I’ve learned through the years that there are very few franchises that have a business model that creates wealth for their franchisees. Many of the food franchise business models expect franchisees to provide a large part of the labor in order for them to get a paycheck. Essentially, it’s just like buying a job, and I’ve always felt that a lot of those folks could have just gotten a job and invested their money in the stock market and done better.

But there are a handful of franchise companies that have the right business model to create wealth. Five Guys Burgers has taught me that that there’s a sweet spot in the food franchise business — one that requires about $400,000 in investment, a store buildout under 2,000 square feet, and average unit volume around $950K to $1 million. Five Guys did that and their franchisees have created a fair amount of wealth for themselves in operating that franchise format.

When I left Five Guys, I looked at the field of opportunities and Toppers was the most similar to Five Guys. Instead of a better burger category, it’s a better pizza category.

(Read More)

Toppers Pizza featured on Fox6 WakeUp Milwaukee

Toppers Pizza was recently featured in a segment on Fox6 WakeUp Milwaukee featuring the Spank Tank which aired Friday, July 1 2011. Spank Tank manager, Drew Craker and his colleague, Damon, did an excellent job of introducing the Spank Tank to viewers and describing the role that social media will play when trying to locate the Spank Tank. View the full segment below!

Heating Up The Streets: Toppers Pizza ‘Spank Tank’ Unveiled

Late night hunger, beware! Toppers Pizza is gearing up to launch its latest innovation: The Toppers ‘Spank Tank.’ On June 24, Toppers Pizza will unveil its first food truck for the pizza-loving public of Milwaukee, WI to enjoy. With plans to service the late night bar scene, the Spank Tank will call the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Toppers location its home. It will sell Toppers’ world famous Topperstix and, for the very first time, House and one-topping pizzas by the slice.

“You may have heard of the food trucks craze, but I can guarantee you’ve never seen anything like the Spank Tank,” said Bridget Keeler, Toppers manager of marketing. “This will turn heads and cause complete insanity when we roll this thing out on the streets of Milwaukee. Its presence is unbelievable.”

Just like the slogan suggests, the Spank Tank will be spanking customer’s buds with “a piece all summer long.” It was an idea that hatched back in 2009 and since then, the Toppers team has developed a way to turn its brick and mortar location mobile. The truck includes a full-size oven and fully functional kitchen. At 26 feet wide and 13 feet tall, the Spank Tank is equipped to handle Milwaukee’s late night hunger pangs.

“Bar time will never be the same,” said Drew Craker, manager of Toppers Spank Tank. “Being behind the wheel of the Spank Tank will be like being a famous celebrity…all eyes on you, its show time baby.”

According to Drew Craker, he plans to be at all the hot bar spots multiple times a night in the Spank Tank selling fresh Toppers pizza to the brand’s core customer – the college student.

What else is in store with the Spank Tank? Toppers fanatics will have the opportunity to rent the Spank Tank for their events. While Toppers plans to develop several more food trucks in other Toppers Pizza markets across the country, for now, it’s just Milwaukee that will benefit from the truck promising to give you “a piece all summer long.”

“We are a 20 year old brand that refuses to stop at mediocre,” said Keeler. “At every turn, we are thinking of new ways for our customers and fanatics to interact with the Toppers brand. We believe the Spank Tank is something extraordinary that will get people talking. Now let’s hear what Milwaukee has to say.”

Toppers Pizza featured in Daily Chronicle

Toppers Pizza was recently featured in an article in the Daily Chronicle called “Toppers Pizza helps good cause while preparing for contest.” The article features Chris Schneider, general manager of Toppers Pizza in DeKalb, Illinois discussing his training for the Skin Sprints competition, a contest where the participants create six 14-inch pizzas as fast as they can. Chris will be participating in this competition on June 21 along with other Toppers qualifiers. The article also discusses the community outreach opportunity that training for Skin Sprints has given the Toppers DeKalb location. After each practice, Chris has been donating the finished pizzas to a local shelter called Hope Haven. Click here to view the full article!

Toppers Pizza helps good cause while preparing for contest
By NICOLE WESKERNA

DeKALB – Chris Schneider, general manager of Toppers Pizza in DeKalb, sometimes makes as many as two dozen pizzas when he practices for the fastest pizza-making competition that is coming up next week.

The pizzas are made to be cooked and eaten, not frozen, Schneider said. When he started practicing, he accumulated perfectly good pizzas that couldn’t be frozen, so he decided to start donating them to the Hope Haven shelter in DeKalb until the competition is over.

(Read More)

Toppers Pizza featured in Indianapolis Star

Toppers Pizza was recently featured in a brief article called “Wisconsin’s Toppers Pizza plans metro-area restaurants” which appeared in the Indianapolis Star. In the article, Brett Larrabee, Topper’s Director of Franchise Development, discusses the interest that Toppers has in bringing franchisees into the market. The article also discusses some of the menu highlights that Toppers has to offer as well as describes the 1,600 square foot restaurant. Click here to view the full article!

Wisconsin's Toppers Pizza plans metro-area restaurants

Toppers Pizza aims to open 12 to 16 restaurants in the Indianapolis area in the next two years.

"We have a lot of interest in that market" and are searching for one or two franchisees, said Brett Larrabee, director of franchise development for the Whitewater, Wis., chain of 28 stores.

(Read More)

Hope You Had The Time Of Your Life: Graduating Seniors Send Their Farewell to Toppers

It doesn’t take very long for college students to move onto campus and sniff out the local Toppers Pizza. Students grow to be fanatical about the pizza powerhouse as it becomes a friend during finals or a cold breakfast companion. Toppers’ unique focus on 18-25 year olds and youthful branding has made it wildly popular with college kids.

Each spring, seniors all over the country celebrate years of hard work and dedication as they graduate and move into the working world. However, only a select few are lucky enough to have spent their late-night study sessions and early-morning partying with Toppers Pizza. Before these college grads move on, we have asked a few to take a moment to reflect on the special memories made possible by Toppers.

Stephen Olman
College: University of Cincinnati
Degree: Marketing
Favorite Toppers Location: Cincinnati, Ohio – Calhoun St.
Favorite Toppers Item: The Topperstix. The cheese, sauce and topping options make them so unique.
How did you first hear about Toppers?
I first heard about Toppers during my senior year when they opened in Cincinnati near campus. The first time I ordered Toppers with my friends, we ordered a ton of it! Our first order consisted of four pizzas and Topperstix.
What is your favorite Toppers memory?
My favorite memory is ordering Toppers every Sunday at 3 p.m. to watch football. We’d eat so much of it that everyone would pass out, and then wake up only to eat more Toppers.
What will you miss most about Toppers after graduation?
I’ll definitely miss the Topperstix!

Shauna Casolari
College: Northern Illinois University
Degree: Sociology
Favorite Toppers Location: Dekalb, Illinois
Favorite Toppers Item: A triple order of Topperstix. I love all of the different sauce options!
How did you first hear about Toppers?
I transferred to NIU as junior and found a menu on my windshield at my new apartment complex. When my roommate and I were moving, we didn’t have time to cook so we tried it right away.
What is your favorite Toppers memory?
Our Ultimate Frisbee team once had a competition to see who could eat the most of a Tall Boy pizza. One of our teammates ate an entire Buffalo Chicken Tall Boy! After that, I never looked at a Buffalo Chicken Tall Boy the same.
What will you miss most about Toppers after graduation?
I’ll miss the variety of the menu and how late they stay open. I love coming home, doing my homework and ordering late night Toppers to help me get through it all.

Stephen Sanders
College: Carroll University
Degree: Sociology and Psychology
Favorite Toppers Location: Waukesha – East Moreland Boulevard
Favorite Toppers Item: Topperstix and Tall Boys!
How did you first hear about Toppers?
I moved from Indiana to Wisconsin to attend college and rushed for a fraternity. They had Toppers at one of the rush events and after trying it for the first time I was hooked.
What is your favorite Toppers memory?
After my fraternity’s formal during my sophomore year, we went to a hotel room for the after party and decided to order Toppers. I wasn’t feeling too well so I was in the bathroom when the pizza was delivered and a couple of my friends brought me a slice to make me feel better. As they were in the bathroom with me, some really creepy people walked into our hotel room and started asking us weird questions. In an effort to freak the intruders out, I dunked my slice of pizza into the toilet and then took a bite. They left right away.
What will you miss most about Toppers after graduation?
That there isn’t a Toppers near where I live and I won’t be able to order it anymore!

Toppers featured in Food and Drink Digital

Toppers Pizza was recently featured in an article in Food and Drink Digital called “Toppers Pizza Delivers The Goods”. The article features Scott Iverson, Director of Marketing for Toppers Pizza, discussing Toppers history and how their unique marketing has made them appealing to a relatively untapped market. Iverson discusses the history behind Toppers, how their fresh ingredients make for a superior product and how Toppers maintains their market audience of 18-24 year olds. Iverson also presents the great franchise model and opportunity that Toppers presents for aspiring business owners. Check out the article below:

Toppers featured in Food and Drink Digital

Toppers Pizza featured in QSR Magazine

Reporter Sam Oches of QSR, a restaurant industry trade publication, spoke with Scott Iversen about Toppers Pizza’s new focus on franchise development. The new direction focuses on attracting multi-unit operators who have a diverse portfolio of restaurant experience. Toppers has also hired two new key employees to round up its team: Brett Larrabee, formerly on the 5 Guys Burgers & Fries franchise development team and Curtis White, formerly with Quizno’s on the operations end. The strategic short term goal is for 100 units by the end of 2013 and the long term plan is to have 500 locations by 2020. Check out the article to learn more about Toppers growth.

Toppers Lays Out Plans for Accelerated Growth
By Sam Oches

Toppers Pizza announced that, as a means to accelerate growth, the company will start focusing on employing multiunit franchisees with diverse portfolios instead of single-unit operators.

The 28-unit, Whitewater, Wisconsin–based brand is aiming to have 100 units open and operating by 2013, says director of marketing Scott Iversen.
(Read More)

Toppers Pizza featured in Entrepreneur Magazine

Toppers Pizza, the 28-unit eclectic pizza franchise based in Whitewater, WI, scored a spot in Entrepreneur Magazine’s “Nine Notable Pizza Entrepreneurs." Gittrich turned down two Domino’s locations to start up his own version of a pizza concept which has blown competition out of the water in terms of sales. Check out the Toppers Pizza roundup here!

Nine Notable Pizza Entrepreneurs
By Jason Fell

Whether you love it, or only sorta love it, pizza is big business. Over any two-week period, nearly two-thirds of Americans will eat some form of pizza, either frozen or at a restaurant, according to consumer-marketing research firm the NPD Group. Overall, pizza is the sixth-most popular dinner entree in the U.S. That's a lotta dough. From pizza trainers to eco-friendly pizzerias and big franchises, we serve up some of the most innovative entrepreneurs who have taken a bite of the giant pizza market over the years.

(Read More)

Toppers Q&A featured in Entrepreneur Magazine

Reporter Jason Daley of Entrepreneur Magazine sat down with successful Toppers Pizza franchisee Dave Gilewski to learn about how he has managed to generate $600,000 sales in the first six months of opening his location in Franklin, WI. What resulted was a Q&A called “Special Delivery: A Wisconsin franchisee discovers the secret behind a pizza chain’s unparalleled popularity and makes a bundle in the bargain,” that published in the May edition of Entrepreneur Magazine. Gilewski talks candidly about Toppers Pizza’s culture, his entrepreneur story and the food that started it all at Toppers Pizza. View the full article below!

Toppers Q&A featured in Entrepreneur Magazine

Toppers Pizza featured in Nation's Restaurant News

Toppers Pizza Marketing Manager Bridget Keeler spoke with Nation’s Restaurant News reporter Mark Brandau about how Toppers uses Social Media to create and drive the brand’s advertising for an article in Nation’s Restaurant News called “Collaborative Spirit.” In Toppers' latest contest, it asks Facebook fans to design a car wrap. The winner selected could potentially see a ’74 Mercury Grand Marquis driving around town with his or her design wrapped on the car. View the full article below, or click here!

Toppers Pizza featured in Nation's Restaurant News

Toppers Pizza featured in QSR

Toppers Pizza was recently featured in QSR. In the QSR article called “Battling Back Against Winter,” which published April 8, Adam Oldenburg of Toppers Pizza describes how Toppers embraces the winter weather and in doing so has made a name for being the place to go during winter storms. In the article, Adam says that winter snow days can double sales easily at all 28 Toppers Pizza locations and that Toppers has become known as the place to go during a storm. Click here to view the full article

Battling Back Against Winter: Quick serves find ways to fight off the winter blues as signs of spring approach.
By Mary Avant

Since mid-December, seven major snow storms have hit states all over the U.S., from the Northeast to the West Coast and everywhere in between.

This bleak weather “has literally dimmed the bulb on the restaurant business pretty much across the board,” says David Crane, CEO of BlueSky Local, a slow sales response solution for restaurants.

(Read More)

UWM Students Review Toppers in The Daily Cardinal

Toppers Pizza is known for connecting with the college demographic. Recently, UWM students, Eamon Hegarty and Matt Payne reviewed Toppers Pizza for the UWM publication, The Daily Cardinal. The review analyzes and praises Toppers' unique menu and friendly staff! Toppers continues to be a leader in the 18-34 demographic and testimonials like this continue to strengthen the brand. A portion of the article is below and it can be read in its entirety by clicking here.

Toppers: Better than bartime
By Eamon Hegarty & Matt Payne

Pizza and beer. For decades, the staple foods of young scholars have been this simple. While recent years have seen a rise in the number of health-conscious individuals, for many nothing is more welcome at 2 a.m. than a delicious pizza covered in an assortment of meats, cheeses and veggie toppings. For such occasions, Toppers Pizza on Regent Street is our favorite. Why? We admit that there are a number of outstanding pizza joints in Madison, and although Toppers offers an exceptional standard assortment, there are two menu items which make them unique.

The first, and by far our favorite, are Topperstix. Sure, other restaurants have their own version of cheesy breadsticks, but no one makes them as well as Toppers. The cheese is fresh and delicious. The dough's texture is soft and chewy without being underdone. It's like combining the best part of a cheese pizza with the best part of a breadstick. Furthermore, you can order three dipping sauces to make these "stix" even more enjoyable.

The second thing Toppers has working in their favor is their house pizzas. Although they're little more expensive, they ‘re worth every penny, particularly if you're in the mood for more than bar-time food. From the Taco Topper to the Smokey BBQ Chicken, Toppers has something for every palate. Next to the Mac ‘N Cheese pizza, our favorite was the Potato Topper. This pizza consists of baked potatoes with mozzarella and cheddar cheeses sprinkled with bacon bits and green onions. On the side, Toppers offers the perfect palate cleanser of sour cream for a dipping sauce. This unusual yet ingenious mixture is truly mouth-watering and provides something that both pizza loving individuals and partygoers will enjoy.

(Read More)

Q&A with Toppers' Marketing/Social Media Manager, Bridget Keeler

Recently, we sat down with our Marketing/Social Media Manager, Bridget Keeler, and asked her a few questions about social media. This revolutionary tool gives us the power to consistently interact with our following and also continues to grow our brand. See the full transcript of the interview below:

Can you describe some of Toppers goals and initiatives with social media? Why and how are you using social media to accomplish these goals?

Toppers Pizza puts an extremely high value on listening to what our customers are telling us. Our goal with social media is to give customers what they want. Recently, we were looking to add another House Pizza to our menu. We developed a crowd sourcing contest, Spank Your Pizza, which challenged fanatics to come up with the next pizza for our menu – then paired down more than 100 submissions to 64 finalists who battled it out for three weeks to make it to the top two. The contest generated some delicious pizza ideas and grew our Facebook Fan page by 62% over the course of contest.

Future goals and initiatives include creating apps that will engage our fanatics and continue to build our loyal community. We believe our fanatics are truly interested in the Toppers brand and want to be a part of shaping its success. To further measure that passionate loyalty, we will also be heavily promoting our mobile food truck via social media and will be eventually looking for fanatics to dictate where it shows up to next.

The cool thing about social media is that Toppers has the ability to change the conversation in the pizza industry by engaging and listening to our fanatics. Anyone with an idea worth sharing has the ability to influence the conversation at anytime.

With over 1,000 fans per location, how do you consistently interact and engage your fanatics?

We make it our goal to engage our fanatics multiple times during the day through our posts. These posts can range anywhere from asking them to comment on their favorite dipping sauce, to posting relevant pop culture trends. We like to believe that our fanatics see our page as being similar to hanging out in a room with their friends and having a good time.

We also have a weekly promotion, called “Toppers Tuesdays”, that gives our fanatics exclusive deals on Tuesdays only at any Toppers location. These deals are only found on our social media pages and build specials bonds with us and our fanatics. Deals can range from buy one get one deals to special pricing on regular menu items.

Local Toppers stores also dive into interacting with fanatics on our pages by offering specials to fanatics in their area. Between national and local specials, Toppers is continuously thanking and rewarding our fanatics.

How do you measure social media? (Try and think Return on Engagement – ROI is difficult to measure, etc.)

Toppers is dedicated to making our fanatics happy. We measure social media through return on engagement. Measurement comes in the form of comments, impressions, @mentions, repeat posters, popular posts, and overall brand awareness. Our first and foremost goal is to post content that captures our fanatics attention and gets them talking. While it’s easy to count the measurements mentioned above, our measurement is a constant work in progress as we decipher and understand how social media engagement affects us at every level. Our ultimate goal is to find the connection and balance between social media and our P&L to help determine and set expectations to our social media strategy prior to engagement.

If you could give one piece of advice to business looking to take the jump into social media, what would you say?

If you are looking to take the jump into social media, my advice is to take a big running leap and continue looking ahead. I believe that social media has replaced face to face conversations and is quickly becoming the norm for communication, especially among Toppers’ demographic. The key is constant, consistent, engaging communication. Social media is changing the world by the hour, while you don’t need to be the star on the conversation – you at least need to be part of it.

Toppers Pizza featured in the Wall Street Journal

Toppers Pizza was just recently featured in the Wall Street Journal in an article called “Industry Sees a Strong Rebound But Growth Will Be Uneven,” which published on February 14, 2011. In the article, which focuses on franchise trends for 2011, Toppers Pizza is showcased as a brand taking full advantage of Social Media. Toppers has blown its competition out of the water in utilizing Social Media to engage fans with the brand and further establish brand loyalty. Scott Iverson, Director of Marketing for Toppers, discusses that social networking is the best way to connect with Toppers core target market of 18-24 year olds. It connects fans with pizza recipe contests, weekly specials, a blog, twitter account and YouTube videos. As a result of its strong presence, Toppers has over 27,000 total fans and about 1000 fans per location while its competitors have around 50 per location. Toppers continues to be an industry leader in Social Media. Check out the article here or view the article below!

WSJ - Industry Sees a Strong Rebound But Growth Will Be Uneven

Toppers Pizza featured in the Green Bay Press-Gazette

Toppers Pizza was recently featured in the Green Bay Press-Gazette with an article entitled "Green Bay Packers wins bring in green for businesses." The article focuses on the Super Bowl Sunday sales spike from the perspective of local Green Bay retailers. Toppers Pizza receives its own special section on Super Bowl Sunday pizza sales (in bold, below). Scott Iversen discusses how Super Bowl Sunday is typically one of the top 3 sales days of the year for Toppers, and is expected to be significantly higher with the Packers in the Super Bowl. Joe Kirschling and Aaron Johnson, owners of Toppers Pizza in Green Bay, discuss how they’ll prepare for the big day with a full staff and plenty of supplies. Click here to view the article in its entirety!

Green Bay Packers wins bring in green for businesses
By Nathan Phelps

The Super Bowl usually is a good day for pizza orders, but add the Packers in the mix, and its primed to be one heck of a day for sales.

"(Sales) could be upward of 50 percent more than most Super Bowls," said Scott Iversen, director of marketing with Whitewater-based Toppers Pizza, which has 20 Wisconsin locations. "The Super Bowl in general is one of the top three days of the year for pizza delivery, and when the Packers are in it, it drives more business.

(Read More)

Toppers Pizza featured in QSR Magazine

QSR Magazine recently published an article called “Who needs a $3M TV Spot When You Have Social Media,” in which Toppers Pizza discusses how it plans to leverage Social Media during the big game! Scott Iversen explains how Toppers Pizza is using the success of the Green Bay Packers to their advantage with 20 of the 28 franchised locations being located in Wisconsin. Toppers Pizza has been putting up messages on Facebook and Twitter that coincide with Green Bay's success during the Playoffs! Click here to view the full article.

Who Needs a $3M TV Spot When You Have Social Media?
By SAM OCHES

While some companies will be shelling out as much as $3 million for a 30-second TV spot during Sunday’s Super Bowl, some quick-serve chains plan to ramp up their marketing efforts without even hardly opening their wallets.

Toppers Pizza and Philly Pretzel Factory are two concepts that will leverage social media for their marketing efforts on Super Bowl Sunday, a day for which advertising was once reserved only for billion-dollar brands.

(Read More)

Toppers Pizza featured on Fox 6 Wakeup in Green Bay

Toppers Pizza was recently featured on Fox 6 Wakeup in Green Bay. The segment discusses how pizza is the number 1 food favorite during the Super Bowl. The segment also features Toppers Pizza managers Adam Oldenburg and Matt Ziemann. Adam and Matt showed off their most popular items and talked about how they prepare for one of the busiest days in the year—Super Bowl Sunday—and how fast their service is. Click here and scroll down to the video entitled "The number 1 food favorite for Superbowl" to view the segment, or view the link below.

Toppers Pizza featured in UW Whitewater's student newspaper Royal Purple

Toppers Pizza was recently featured in UW Whitewater's student newspaper Royal Purple in an article entitled "Pizza places plan on seeing sales increase for Super Bowl." The article focuses on Super Bowl Sunday pizza sales in Whitewater, and local favorite Toppers Pizza dominates the conversation. Scott Iversen discusses the significant sales spike Toppers sees during Super Bowl weekend, and what they are doing to prepare for it. With pizza ranking as the #1 most popular take-out/delivery item on game day, Scott explains that Super Bowl Sunday is typically one of the top 3 sales days of the year for Toppers, with business generally up anywhere from 50-60%. And with the Packers in the Super Bowl this year, that percentage could be as high as 150%, which would be a new record for the brand! Click here to view the full article!

Pizza places plan on seeing sales increase for Super Bowl
By CHRIS KUHAGEN AND ALYSSA SKIBA
February 2, 2011.

With the Super Bowl just days away, it's easy to assume many Whitewater area pizza joints are preparing for a busy day.

But with the Green Bay Packers gearing up for their first appearance in the big game since 1998, pizza businesses in Whitewater are looking forward to the extra incentive that the home team is sure to bring to their business.

(Read More)

Toppers Pizza featured on Pizzamarketplace.com

Toppers Pizza was featured in an article on Pizzamarketplace.com “Toppers’ social media efforts yielding results,” which published on Friday. It was built from an interview with Bridget Keeler and showcases the results of Toppers Spank Your Pizza contest. It sites that the 62% growth on Facebook during tournament time calculated into a 3% sales increase systemwide. This article gives validation that Toppers is competing with the Big Boys, but driving consumers into the brand in a more strategic and targeted way. The article also teases Spank Our Ride to launch this spring. Click here to view the entire article.

Toppers’ social media efforts yielding results
By ALICIA KELSO

Toppers Pizza’s recent promotion did exactly what it set out to do – pique the interest of the company’s faithful younger demographic.

The Spank Your Pizza Facebook Contest, launched in August, involved a comprehensive social media strategy that spiked Toppers’ fan base by 62 percent and translated into a 3 percent sales increase.

(Read More)

Toppers Pizza featured in Appleton Post-Crescent

Toppers Pizza was featured in the Appleton Post-Crescent Monday. The article was built by an interview with Aaron Johnson who discusses how football season impacts pizza sales at Toppers. It notes that Packer noon games and Sunday or Monday games can increase sales by 60%. Click here to view the full article.

Pizza places pack it in during football season and the playoffs
By CHERYL ANDERSON

Comedian Kevin James may have put it best: "There's no better feeling in the world than a warm pizza box on your lap."

Said warm pizza box on lap during an NFL regular or postseason game, now that's amore. And for some owners of local pizza establishments and franchises, it's money in the bank. Cha-ching!

Based in Whitewater, the 28-unit Toppers Pizza franchise typically ramps up staff for major football games and sees up to a 25 percent increase in sales at some locations. Who's playing in a particular game also has affects sales.

(Read more)