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.

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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.
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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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