Franchisee Voices: Todd Geatches of Toppers Pizza

Todd Geatches is the owner of the Rocky Top Management group and has signed on to open 27 Toppers Pizza* units throughout Colorado and Wyoming, beginning development in Fort Collins for the first location. Todd is no stranger to the restaurant industry, and specifically in the pizza category. He began his career as an Oliver's Pizza franchisee after high school in 1985. Todd went on to work for Papa John's as a district manager in the Denver, Colorado Springs, Albuquerque, and Dallas markets and saw the brand grow from 400 locations to over 2500 in the '90s. More recently, Todd has been heavily involved in the operations of Taco John's in the Denver area with business partner Clayton Hartman, through Mountain Restaurant Management. He and Hartman will take the wealth of knowledge they have for the franchise space in Colorado and Wyoming to spearhead Toppers Pizza’s growth in untapped markets over the next several years.

Tell us a little bit about your background.

I have worked in the restaurant industry for 32 years and the pizza segment has been a huge part of my life throughout my entire career. One of my first jobs was working as a dishwasher at a pizza restaurant called Firehouse Lounge in Michigan. After graduating high school in 1985, I became a three-unit franchisee of Oliver’s pizza. Oliver’s was a Michigan-based brand and I took the business down to the Arlington, TX area. I also worked for Papa John’s Pizza and helped develop the Denver, Colorado Springs, Albuquerque, and Dallas markets as a District Manager. During my time with Papa John’s, the brand grew from 400 to about 2500 locations.

Most recently, I have worked as Director of Operations for Mountain Restaurant Management, Inc., overseeing multiple Taco John’s locations in the greater Denver area. My business partner Clayton Hartman served on the Board of Directors at Taco John’s for 24 years is a founding partner and Chief Investment Officer of IFM Capital.  He has spent more than 33 years addressing the complex needs of high net worth individuals, family foundations, endowments and business owners. Hartman was named one of Barron’s “Top 1000 Advisors” for four consecutive years. He has been very active in the Fort Collins community, serving on the Board of Directors for Fort Collins United Way and the Fort Collins Cancer Society, and is the past chairman of the Poudre Valley Hospital Foundation. He also gives back to his alma mater by serving on the University of Wyoming Foundation Board, being a founding member of the University of Wyoming Ambassador’s Board and serving on the University of Wyoming Athletic Facilities Committee.

What was your first job? 

As one of seven children, I learned the importance of earning money at a young age. I worked my first paper route at age ten in Harrison Township, MI.

Why did you choose to become a franchisee with Toppers? How did you learn about the brand?

When Clayton and I were looking to invest in new brands, we researched several franchises in the pizza category. What set Toppers apart from the rest was Scott Gittrich’s leadership style as well as the brand’s forward-thinking targeting of millennial consumers. In comparison to other brands that we considered, the quality of the Toppers product also stood head and shoulders above the rest.

What were your perceptions of franchising before starting the process? 

I have been familiar with the franchise industry for my entire professional career and have experienced it from both the franchisee and franchisor perspective. While many brands experience an antagonistic relationship between the franchisor and franchisee system, it is clear that the leadership team at Toppers is committed to a supportive atmosphere. Scott considers the entire system one big family and that approach makes Toppers more successful than many other companies.

What’s next for you and your business? Do you have any development/expansion plans with the brand?

We have signed a 27-unit area development agreement and will develop 13 units from North of Denver to Cheyenne. 

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