Toppers in Nation’s Restaurant News

Toppers in Nation’s Restaurant News 

We were featured in an article titled “Restaurateurs look to snacks to boost revenues” in Nation’s Restaurant News.  The article focused on the rise in snacking at chains, Scott Iversen, Toppers' vice president of marketing, talked about the launch of Topperstix, and how this snackable item has become a brand staple among its consumers. He provided some insight on how customers, especially college students, crave this menu item and order as a snack on its own. The article looks at how its popularity and sales impacted the company, making this cornerstone product a brand differentiator.

Read the full article here. 

Toppers featured Nation's Restaurant News

Toppers was recently featured in the Nation's Restaurant News in an article titled, "Breakout Brands: Toppers Pizza."  The article details Scott Gittrich, founder and chief executive, and his booming brand.

Breakout Brand: Toppers Pizza
By: Vanessa Van Landingham

Best known among its growing fanbase for menu items that founder and chief executive Scott Gittrich calls “weird,” Toppers Pizza is using its irreverent, underdog attitude and eclectic pizzas to steal share from the industry giants.

When he opened the first Toppers store in 1991, Gittrich said he was filling a void in quality and innovation that he saw in the pizza segment.

(Read More)

Toppers featured in Nation's Restaurant News

Toppers Pizza was recently featured in an article in Nation's Restaurant News titled "Toppers Pizza debuts first-ever TV commercials." This article discusses the reasoning behind producing the company's first ads for television, and what it means moving for Toppers as a brand moving forward. Click here for the full article, or begin reading below.

Toppers Pizza debuts first-ever TV commercials

Toppers Pizza has debuted its first TV commercials in the chain’s 21-year history, completing its “three-screen” advertising strategy after years of laying the groundwork in social media and mobile ordering.

The 42-unit brand’s first foray into television advertising represents a significant shift in its marketing spending, though its overall marketing budget remains unchanged, said vice president of marketing Scott Iversen. Over the past two years, the chain has transitioned away from print ads and direct mail to free up money to invest in producing TV commercials and buying time in their markets.

(Read More)

Toppers Pizza featured in Nation's Restaurant News

An article called “Pizza chains gear up for Thanksgiving” published in Nation’s Restaurant News, which discusses Thanksgiving weekend as a big pizza sales weekend among Pizza Hut, Domino’s and Papa John’s. The reporter mentions the end of the Toppers Pizza’s “Spank Your Pizza” contest, and how the contest will wrap up right around the Thanksgiving holiday. This is a great placement for Toppers as they are mentioned among the nation’s biggest pizza chains and gives great validation to Toppers as a legitimate pizza contender. Check out a portion of the story below or read the full story here.

Pizza chains gear up for Thanksgiving Eve

While Wednesday is the start of a big sales weekend for many pizza chains, it also marks the end of the “Spank Your Pizza” contest at Whitewater, Wis.-based Toppers Pizza. The 28-unit chain for the past several weeks has hosted the contest on its Facebook page, inviting fans to create the next house pizza for toppers and have their inventions face off against the others in a tournament-style bracket. The final four contestants squared off in a semifinal Tuesday, and the winner will be decided during voting from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday.

The grand prize winner gets the pizza named in his or her honor, plus free Toppers for a year and a $500 gift card. (Read more)

Toppers taps Five Guys vet for franchising role

Nation’s Restaurant News recently published an article about Toppers Pizza’s new growth strategy moving into the next decade. Toppers plans on taking the 26-unit eclectic pizza chain to 500 units by 2020. How will they get there? With the help of experienced franchise guru, Brett Larrabee, a former member of the franchise development team at Five Guys Burger and Fries and Panchero’s Mexican Grill. Read a portion of the article below or check out the full story here.

Toppers taps Five Guys vet for franchising role
Regional pizza chain has goal of having 500 stores in 10 years

Toppers Pizza has hired a franchising expert, most recently from Five Guys, to spearhead its own expansion plans, which include growing the 20-year-old chain from its current 26 units to 500 by 2020.

Brett Larrabee, the fast-casual pizza chain’s new director of franchise development, most recently was director of New York City operations for Five Guys Burgers & Fries, which has undergone rapid expansion over the past few years. Before Five Guys, Larrabee was director of franchising at Pancheros Mexican Grill in Coralville, Iowa, and before that he was a Subway franchisee.

Larrabee said he moved to Whitewater, Wis., to join Toppers because he liked the economics of the restaurants, which in 2009 had average unit sales of $966,000 and $186,250 in profit — a margin of more than 19 percent.

“There are few opportunities that have strong economics that are consistent and viable,” Larrabee said, pointing to the chain’s 20-year track record as an asset. (Read more)