Toppers was just recently featured in the Ann Arbor Journal!

Toppers Pizza hoping to open in Ann Arbor
By Lisa Allmendinger, A2 Journal

You might not be familiar with The Hangover Helper pizza or a Mac 'N' Cheese, Potato Topper, Cool C-B-R (Chicken-Bacon-Ranch) varieties.

There also are buffalo wings, quesadillas and grinders, plus dozens of other menu items at Toppers Pizza, now in 26 locations throughout the upper Midwest.

In the future, University of Michigan students and Ann Arbor residents might be able to taste these unusual toppings as Toppers Pizza scouts a Wolverine-friendly location, while looking for franchisees.

There are an additional 18 under contract, and Ann Arbor is one of the Michigan target cities that Toppers plans for its franchise expansion plans.

The eclectic pizza franchise plans to use Ann Arbor as a hub for expansion in Michigan, says Scott Iversen, Toppers director of franchise development.

Topping $1 million in sales per location, Iverson says these numbers are 35 to 45 percent higher than national competitors. (Read More)

Toppers Pizza was just recently featured in the Dayton Daily News!

Pizza chain eyeing Dayton for expansion
By Mark Fisher Monday, March 29, 2010, 10:59 AM

Scott Gittrich hopes his second experience with Dayton is more rewarding than the first.

In 1991, Gittrich — founder and CEO of the Whitewater, Wisconsin-based Toppers Pizza, a mostly-delivery pizza chain that targets the 18-to-34 age group demographic — was offered the opportunity to become the franchise owner of a couple of Domino’s pizza shops, the large pizza chain for which he was working in Charlotte, N.C. Gittrich researched the offer, but didn’t like what he found about what were then a pair of low-volume, struggling stores.

“It wasn’t anything about Dayton, but it just didn’t fit with my own entrepreneurial spirit,” Gittrich said. “I’d prefer to do my own thing rather than try to reverse the fortunes of an existing franchise.” (Read More)

Toppers Pizza was just recently featured in the Chicago Tribune

Toppers pizza chain to add 30 locations in Chicago
Published on March 26, 2010 11:52 AM

By Julie Wernau A new pizza chain is coming to town and plans to add 30 locations in Chicago by 2012. Toppers Pizza, a 26-unit pizza franchise with 20 locations in Wisconsin caters to the college crowd with pies such as the "Hangover Helper," "Mac 'N Cheese" and a pizza called the "Potato Topper" that tastes like a loaded potato, according to the company. To celebrate the grand opening of each new location, Toppers gives away free food for a year to the first 50 customers. (Read More)

Toppers Pizza was recently featured in the Journal & Courier

Toppers breaks the 5,000 fan mark; Rewards loyal fans with Toppers Tuesdays

March 5, 2010-- Journal & Courier

Toppers Pizza, which has a location in West Lafayette, is celebrating breaking the 5,000 fan mark on their social networks by offering Toppers Tuesdays.

Every Tuesday, Toppers will post a new special. In order to claim it, customers will have to tag themselves in the funny photo of the day. To keep the promotion going, Toppers must surpass 10,000 fans on its social networks by the end of April.

Toppers Pizza was featured in the Wisconsin State Journal

Executive Q&A: Toppers Pizza founder Scott Gittrich on pie appeal

By JANE BURNS jburns@madison.com 608-252-6440 Posted: Saturday, February 27, 2010 2:00 pm

WHITEWATER - Scott Gittrich knows it's possible to dream big in a small town, and that those dreams can come true.

That's why as unassuming as his Toppers Pizza headquarters might seem in a strip mall near the UW-Whitewater campus, the company is positioning itself to continue its regional growth and become a player on the national pizza scene.

In 1991, Gittrich left his job as an operations manager for Domino's Pizza to open the first Toppers in Champaign, Ill. Two years later, he opened another location in Whitewater, which became home to the company headquarters.

From there, the company has grown to 25 stores that target the 18- to 34-year-old demographic with unique promotions, late hours, specialty pizzas such as the Hangover Helper, the signature Topperstix and goofy details such as little green army men delivered along with napkins and hot peppers.

The company began franchising in 2000. Toppers expanded into the Madison and Milwaukee markets and in 2006 entered the Twin Cities market. Now Gittrich and his company have their eye on having 100 stores open by 2013 and 500 by 2020. (Read More)

Franchisee Spotlight: Aaron Johnson & Joe Kirschling

Each week we spotlight our new and established franchisees to show how vast the Toppers family really is! This week, Aaron Johnson and Joe Kirschling, are our spotlight franchisees.

Franchisee Locations: 2042 E. Main St., Green Bay, WI 54302; 109 E. College Ave., Appleton, WI 54911

What intrigued Aaron and Joe about Toppers Pizza…

Aaron and Joe were eager to open multiple locations in Fox Valley from the beginning. When they opened their first location in Appleton, the response was tremendously positive and their fan base grew vastly. People want a great product at a fair price, and Aaron and Joe new that they could continue to grow the brand throughout the region because Toppers offers just that, as well as fast delivery and being open much later than competitors.

Something Interesting About Aaron and Joe’s Story…

Aaron and Joe are becoming closer to their ultimate goal, which is to open four Toppers locations throughout Green Bay and Appleton. Aaron and Joe believe that customer satisfaction is key to becoming and staying successful, and that is exactly the approach they are taking with each location, which has allowed them to continue to grow and open additional locations.

Where specifically did Aaron and Joe learn about Toppers Pizza?

Aaron and Joe experienced the brand firsthand in college and decided to become franchisees of the brand because of their love for everything Toppers stands for. In fact, 90% of Toppers franchisees experienced the brand while in college.

Franchisee Spotlight: Justin Marten

Each week we spotlight our new and established franchisees to show how vast the Toppers family really is! This week, Justin Marten, is our spotlight franchisee.

Franchisee Since: Jan. 3, 2009

Franchise Locations: Kenosha, WI; Racine, WI

How Justin Marten Got Started With Toppers Pizza…
Justin went school at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater in Whitewater, WI, where Toppers Pizza headquarters are located. Justin began working at Toppers Pizza in Waukesha one to two days a week to earn some extra money to help pay for his wedding, and he instantly began attached with the witty, eclectic brand. Justin opened his first Toppers Pizza location in January of 2009 in Racine, WI.

What intrigued Justin Marten about Toppers Pizza…
While working part time at Toppers pizza after graduating, the franchisee Justin was working for presented him with the idea of opening his own location and he took his advice. Now a year and a half later, Justin is opening his second Toppers Pizza location. Justin was intrigued by Toppers ability to connect with a niche demographic, which was exactly how he first became familiar with the brand.

Something Interesting About Justin Marten’s Story…
Justin is a very young entrepreneur. At the age of 26, Justin is opening his second Toppers location, and has become a community staple through a number of sponsorships and donations he has made. Justin has sponsored softball teams and given donations to local schools and charities, and he is looking forward to connecting with the Kenosha community also.