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<p style="">When Scott Gittrich opened the first <a href="http://www.toppersfranchise.com/?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=toppers-pizza-franchise-starts-operating-over-the-radar-3699" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Toppers Pizza</a> in Whitewater, Wisconsin 25 years ago, he did so with one goal in mind&#8212;to completely revolutionize the landscape of the competitive pizza industry.</p><div style="">&nbsp;</div><div style=""><span style="">Back then, four major chains dominated the scene&#8212;Domino&#8217;s, Papa John&#8217;s, Pizza Hut and Little Caesar&#8217;s. They were all racing to be the best low-cost provider of all things pizza to all people everywhere. Today, the entire pizza industry is estimated to be at $40 billion, and those early companies that seemingly laid out its foundation benefited greatly from the tide rising for everyone. But there was only one problem&#8212;the pizza was homogenous. There was very little innovation or complexity in the delivery segment, and consumers were left craving something more.</span></div><div style="">&nbsp;</div><div style=""><span style="">That&#8217;s when <a href="http://topperspizza.1851franchise.com/?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=toppers-pizza-franchise-starts-operating-over-the-radar-3699" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Toppers</a> emerged. Gittrich wasn&#8217;t afraid to push the envelope, and he wasn&#8217;t afraid to be himself. In a sea of greasy pizza chains, he was hell-bent on rising above the fray and standing out. Today, the unapologetic brand has established an audacious reputation as the forward-thinking pizza pioneers&#8212;if Toppers isn&#8217;t innovating, they&#8217;re not doing their job.</span></div><div style="">&nbsp;</div><div style=""><span style="">That tenacity has paid off in a big way&#8212;over the years, Toppers&#8217; impressive sales growth led to being ranked second on <a href="http://topperspizza.1851franchise.com/?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=toppers-pizza-franchise-starts-operating-over-the-radar-3699" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">PMQ/Technomic 2015 Pizza Power Report</a> of sales percentage increases of the top 50 chains, with Papa John&#8217;s, Domino&#8217;s and Pizza Hut not even cracking the top five.</span></div><div style="">&nbsp;</div><div style=""><span style="">So what&#8217;s Toppers&#8217; recipe for success in this booming industry? For starters, they don&#8217;t mess around when they say &#8220;Never Settle.&#8221; But it also comes down to five strategic moves that have helped them stay 10 steps ahead of the game.</span></div><div style="">&nbsp;</div><div><span style=""><strong>Strength in Leadership</strong></span></div><div style="">&nbsp;</div><div style=""><span style="">Many sophisticated operators look at the strength of leadership as a determining factor in whether or not they will invest in growing with a brand. Gittrich understood that he alone could not propel Toppers to becoming the next great brand.</span></div><div style="">&nbsp;</div><div style=""><span style="">Thus, he invested heavily in the support structure of the brand, comprising it of industry veterans, marketing geniuses and restaurant operators. The team is built of a corporate staff that out-numbers similar sized brands in depth and support. Some of the leaders to connect with are:</span></div><div style="">&nbsp;</div>    <p style=""><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/scott-iversen-aa32497?authType=OUT_OF_NETWORK&amp%3BauthToken=oaKA&amp%3Blocale=en_US&amp%3Bsrchid=205365101456274594342&amp%3Bsrchindex=2&amp%3Bsrchtotal=923&amp%3Btrk=vsrp_people_res_name&amp%3BtrkInfo=VSRPsearchId%3A205365101456274594342%2CVSRPtargetId%3A21499611%2CVSRPcmpt%3Aprimary%2CVSRPnm%3Afalse%2CauthType%3AOUT_OF_NETWORK&utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=toppers-pizza-franchise-starts-operating-over-the-radar-3699" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Scott Iversen, VP of Marketing</a> </p>  <p style=""><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-cairns-a5a08415?authType=OUT_OF_NETWORK&amp%3BauthToken=Kd28&amp%3Blocale=en_US&amp%3Bsrchid=205365101456274594342&amp%3Bsrchindex=1&amp%3Bsrchtotal=923&amp%3Btrk=vsrp_people_res_name&amp%3BtrkInfo=VSRPsearchId%3A205365101456274594342%2CVSRPtargetId%3A50936038%2CVSRPcmpt%3Aprimary%2CVSRPnm%3Afalse%2CauthType%3AOUT_OF_NETWORK&utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=toppers-pizza-franchise-starts-operating-over-the-radar-3699" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Mark Cairns, Director of Franchising</a> </p>  <p style=""><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-oldenburg-0b841357?authType=OUT_OF_NETWORK&amp%3BauthToken=r-as&amp%3Blocale=en_US&amp%3Bsrchid=205365101456274594342&amp%3Bsrchindex=5&amp%3Bsrchtotal=923&amp%3Btrk=vsrp_people_res_name&amp%3BtrkInfo=VSRPsearchId%3A205365101456274594342%2CVSRPtargetId%3A201082316%2CVSRPcmpt%3Aprimary%2CVSRPnm%3Afalse%2CauthType%3AOUT_OF_NETWORK&utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=toppers-pizza-franchise-starts-operating-over-the-radar-3699" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Adam Olenberg, Corporate Operations Director</a> </p>  <p style=""><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-watt-9415627?authType=OUT_OF_NETWORK&amp%3BauthToken=gP86&amp%3Blocale=en_US&amp%3Bsrchid=205365101456274594342&amp%3Bsrchindex=6&amp%3Bsrchtotal=923&amp%3Btrk=vsrp_people_res_name&amp%3BtrkInfo=VSRPsearchId%3A205365101456274594342%2CVSRPtargetId%3A22275265%2CVSRPcmpt%3Aprimary%2CVSRPnm%3Afalse%2CauthType%3AOUT_OF_NETWORK&utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=toppers-pizza-franchise-starts-operating-over-the-radar-3699" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Mark Watt, Franchise Operations Director</a> </p>  <p style=""><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/matt-martin-27a48032?authType=OUT_OF_NETWORK&amp%3BauthToken=A9lZ&amp%3Blocale=en_US&amp%3Bsrchid=205365101456274764089&amp%3Bsrchindex=13&amp%3Bsrchtotal=329&amp%3Btrk=vsrp_people_res_name&amp%3BtrkInfo=VSRPsearchId%3A205365101456274764089%2CVSRPtargetId%3A114628990%2CVSRPcmpt%3Aprimary%2CVSRPnm%3Afalse%2CauthType%3AOUT_OF_NETWORK&utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=toppers-pizza-franchise-starts-operating-over-the-radar-3699" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Matt Martin, Director of Training</a> </p>  <p style=""><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/kendall-richmond-cpa-5a0514b?authType=OUT_OF_NETWORK&amp%3BauthToken=5a4y&amp%3Blocale=en_US&amp%3Bsrchid=205365101456274764089&amp%3Bsrchindex=18&amp%3Bsrchtotal=329&amp%3Btrk=vsrp_people_res_name&amp%3BtrkInfo=VSRPsearchId%3A205365101456274764089%2CVSRPtargetId%3A34118472%2CVSRPcmpt%3Aprimary%2CVSRPnm%3Afalse%2CauthType%3AOUT_OF_NETWORK&utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=toppers-pizza-franchise-starts-operating-over-the-radar-3699" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Kendall Richmond, Chief Financial Officer</a></p><div style="">&nbsp;</div><div><span style=""><strong>Unit-Level Economics</strong></span></div><div style="">&nbsp;</div><div style=""><span style="">In 2015, 73 percent of all Toppers stores boasted record sales, boosting overall system-wide sales up 22.5% from 2014. And with that record-breaking year behind them, the brand&#8217;s goal in 2016 is to bring in even more revenue at the unit-level&#8212;and their strategy is to steal market share from some of the industry&#8217;s biggest competitors.</span></div><div style="">&nbsp;</div><div style=""><span style="">Consider one of the brand&#8217;s mature two-store markets in Wisconsin. In an area with less than 40,000 households, these two Toppers locations generated $2.56 million in revenue in 2015 versus $1.48 million in 2010. That&#8217;s a $1.08 million increase in sales in just five years&#8212;and it&#8217;s no accident.</span></div><div style="">&nbsp;</div><div style=""><span style="">&#8220;Our franchisees stole these sales from their local competitors by executing the Toppers system at a high level,&#8221; Gittrich said. &#8220;There wasn&#8217;t an additional $1.08 million in pizza being sold in that market&#8212;we stole it from our competitors.&#8221;</span></div><div style="">&nbsp;</div><div style=""><span style="">And that&#8217;s just one example. In the past five years, the number of stores in the system has tripled, and the average unit volume has increased by eight percent.</span></div><div style="">&nbsp;</div><div style=""><span style="">&#8220;This is an extremely encouraging statistic, because it proves that our Toppers units can thrive in any market and put up a good fight against the bigger chains,&#8221; Gittrich added.</span></div><div style="">&nbsp;</div><div><span style=""><strong>Growth Opportunities</strong></span></div><div style="">&nbsp;</div><div style=""><span style="">In the past two years, Toppers has grown from 46 restaurants to 73. The secret to their growth is twofold&#8212;they&#8217;ve yet to see a ceiling in any of their existing markets and there are many more available territories where the brand could truly thrive.</span></div><div style="">&nbsp;</div><div style=""><span style="">Today, the brand operates in 11 states.  And while the brand currently has a strong presence in the Midwest, Toppers isn&#8217;t limiting itself to the comforts of home. This year, the brand is on target to add 40 new units to the system, and they&#8217;re eyeing hot territories throughout the country.</span></div><div style="">&nbsp;</div><div style=""><span style="">Currently, states like Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Minnesota, Iowa, Arkansas, Texas, Kentucky, Michigan and North Carolina all have room for new franchisees&#8212;so long as they sign on for a three store commitment. Meanwhile, a wide swath of the West, the West Coast and the South are all available for area developers (meaning they need to sign on for a five store commitment). Long story short, when it comes to expanding their brand throughout the U.S., Toppers&#8217; options are limitless.</span></div><div style="">&nbsp;</div><div><span style=""><strong>Product Innovation</strong></span></div><div style="">&nbsp;</div><div style=""><span style="">With adventurous and unconventional options always on deck, it&#8217;s clear that innovation has long been at the heart of what makes Toppers so great. As the palates of customers continue to evolve, the brand has always believed that it&#8217;s crucial to closely monitor the changing flavor profiles people crave.</span></div><div style="">&nbsp;</div><div style=""><span style="">&#8220;To really stand out, you need to be at the forefront and stay ahead of the competition. At Toppers, we have a heritage of offering unique toppings, and Topperstix have given us this incredible opportunity to constantly dish up exciting new flavor combinations. In many ways, they&#8217;ve allowed us to be first-to-market with a lot of popular ingredients,&#8221; said Scott Iversen, Toppers&#8217; vice president of marketing.</span></div><div style="">&nbsp;</div><div style=""><span style="">Earlier this year, Toppers launched their 3-Cheese Garlicstix&#8212;an ode to the Topperstix that customers have come to know and love, just kicked up three notches. The chain also introduced three new pizza toppings, making customization the toughest-and best&#8212;decision pizza fanatics will ever have to make com mealtime. Asiago cheese and fire-roasted jalapenos made their menu debut in 2016, joining the ranks of more than 30 other mouth-watering toppings&#8212;and they&#8217;re just getting started.</span></div><div style="">&nbsp;</div><div><span style=""><strong>Evolving Technology</strong></span></div><div style="">&nbsp;</div><div style=""><span style="">In an era where online food ordering is set to overtake traditional telephone orders for the first time, a new and improved toppers.com was launched as an e-commerce site. Enhancements were made to simplify the online ordering process, and a new responsive design allowed customers to have a pizza delivered to their door with the touch of a button on their smartphones&#8212;all designed with Toppers&#8217; characteristic &#8220;Never Settle&#8221; aesthetic in mind.</span></div><div style="">&nbsp;</div><div style=""><span style="">Since the new website was unveiled in August 2015, Toppers has already seen a noticeable spike in traffic, with nearly 40 percent of system-wide orders now being placed online&#8212;a 33 percent jump from 2014.</span></div><div style="">&nbsp;</div><div style=""><span style="">For the above reasons, </span><em style="">1851 Franchise</em><span style=""> has named Toppers Pizza a brand to watch, as potentially the next great player in the better-pizza delivery category.</span></div>    <div style="">&nbsp;</div><div style=""><span style="115%;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;minor-latin;Calibri; minor-latin;minor-latin;&quot;Times New Roman&quot;;minor-bidi;EN-US; EN-US;AR-SA">To learn more about Toppers Pizza, <a href="http://topperspizza.1851franchise.com/?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=toppers-pizza-franchise-starts-operating-over-the-radar-3699" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">click here.</a></span></div>

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With the right strategy in place, Toppers Pizza is set to revolutionize the competitive pizza industry. 

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