Toppers Spotlighted in Entrepreneur Magazine

Entrepreneur magazine featured a Q&A interview with popular Toppers franchisees, Phil and Denise Downing in their "Franchise Players" column, which spotlights different franchisees. The Downings discuss their history with Toppers, which is where they met while working as delivery drivers. The pair then worked their way up and now run four stores in Wisconsin and Minnesota as successful franchisees. They discuss tips one how to balance business and marriage. 

Franchise Players: How This Pizza Chain Power Couple Balances Business and Romance

By: Kate Taylor 

Name: Phil and Denise Downing

Franchises owned (location):  Toppers in LaCrosse, Wisc., Onalaska, Wisc.,  Mankato, Minn., and Winona, Minn.

How long have you owned the franchise? 

We opened our first location in LaCrosse, Wisc., in February 2002.

Why franchising?   

We both worked for corporate stores and saw their success. We had an opportunity to franchise and start as one of the first franchisees at Toppers and we went for it.  

What were you doing before you became a franchise owner?  

Phil started with Toppers in Stevens Point, Wisc., as a delivery driver in 1997. I [Denise] started with Toppers as a delivery driver in Whitewater Wis. in 1996. In 1999, we met because Phil got transferred to be the assistant manager of the Whitewater location while I was working there. We both worked our way up in the company. Just before Toppers began franchising, Phil was a general manager of the Madison Wis. store and I was doing local store marketing for the three corporate locations. 

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