1851

For the past 25 years, <a href="http://www.toppersfranchise.com/?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=toppers-pizza-inks-22-unit-deal-with-seasoned-franchise-group-to-develop-in-virginia-and-maryland-5391#intro" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Toppers Pizza</a> has been successfully stealing business from the big guys in the competitive pizza industry, and now, with the recent signing of former Domino&#8217;s Pizza franchisee and Papa John&#8217;s exec Mike McLaughlin and his wife Helen, the brand is recruiting some of the industry&#8217;s leading talent as new franchisees to blaze the <a href="https://topperspizza.1851franchise.com/?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=toppers-pizza-inks-22-unit-deal-with-seasoned-franchise-group-to-develop-in-virginia-and-maryland-5391" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Toppers Pizza</a> trail into new territory. The McLaughlins signed on to open a total of 22 franchise units between 2017 and 2022 throughout Northern Virginia and Maryland, with future plans for expansion in Baltimore and Washington, D.C. The first units to open will be located in the Arlington, Fairfax, Falls Church, Alexandria and Annandale areas of Virginia. &#8220;At its core, Toppers is a brand focused on serving the highest quality pizza with fast and friendly service. It&#8217;s a model that has proven itself to be successful time and time again,&#8221; said Scott Gittrich, founder and president of Toppers Pizza. &#8220;Our model attracts veteran restaurateurs and multi-unit franchisees looking for the next great thing to add to their portfolio. We are thrilled to partner with the McLaughlins; with Mike&#8217;s industry experience and passion for pizza, we know this is the perfect next step on Toppers&#8217; path to industry domination.&#8221; McLaughlin brings nearly three decades of restaurant industry experience to his newest venture with Toppers. He started his career with Domino&#8217;s Pizza, where he was a premier franchisee at a time when the brand was rapidly expanding. He then spent 12 years at Papa John&#8217;s as an area manager overseeing 30 stores in Northern Virginia. Most recently, McLaughlin decided to diversify his portfolio by franchising with Five Guys Burgers &amp; Fries. Today, he oversees nine locations. Despite his success as a multi-unit franchisee, McLaughlin knew he had to get back into the pizza business. Having worked with big brands like Domino&#8217;s and Papa John&#8217;s, he recognized that Toppers stands out in the marketplace in a way that other brands aren&#8217;t able to replicate. &#8220;The corporate infrastructure that Toppers has in place makes the brand primed to shine on the national level. They&#8217;re laser-focused on helping franchisees to succeed to ultimately grow the brand across the United States. There&#8217;s definitely room for Toppers to compete with major chains, and its superior menu offerings really make it stand out,&#8221; said McLaughlin. &#8220;I ultimately decided to grow with Toppers over other pizza brands because the entire team is overflowing with passion not only for the product, but also for its customers.&#8221; McLaughlin joins the Toppers team on the heels of one of the brand&#8217;s most successful years to date. In 2015, 73 percent of Toppers&#8217; stores broke sales records. That impressive growth led to the brand being named one of the top-five fastest-growing brands in the entire limited-service pizza restaurant category of the 2016 Technomic Top 500 Restaurant Chain Report. Toppers will continue to build on that momentum as the brand heads into the rest of 2016. &#8220;2016 has been a landmark year for Toppers Pizza &#8211; and we&#8217;re only halfway done with the year,&#8221; said Gittrich. &#8220;We set out at the end of 2015 with the goal of attracting the absolute best multi-unit franchisees with restaurant experience to help grow this brand the way it deserves to grow. So far, we&#8217;ve signed two major deals for 35 units in four key states: Colorado, Wyoming, Virginia and Maryland, and have no plans of slowing down. We remain focused on killer pizza with bold, innovative, and high quality toppings, delivered fast by friendly, passionate people. Twenty-five years later, we are still delivering.&#8221;

1851 Franchise

Former Domino's Pizza Franchisee and Papa John's Exec to Expand Toppers Pizza's Footprint


This brand page has been paid for by 1851. Content within this page that is paid will showcase a Sponsored icon. This means the brand has engaged 1851 FRANCHISE to write the content. Content without the Sponsored Icon is aggregated media placements the brand earned. Questions can be sent to editorial@1851franchise.com

Toppers Pizza Inks 22-Unit Deal with Seasoned Franchise Group to Develop in Virginia and Maryland

toppers-pizza-inks-22-unit-deal-with-seasoned-franchise-group-to-develop-in-virginia-and-maryland

Busy Bee Jumpers

Busy Bee Jumpers Buzzes into Franchising: Three New Franchisees Signed in First 30 Days

busy-bee-jumpers-buzzes-into-franchising-three-new-franchisees-signed-in-first-30-days

Fitness Premier

Fitness Premier 24/7 Clubs Reports Strong Midyear Momentum 

Fitness Premier 24/7 Clubs Reports Strong Midyear Momentum with Revenue Gains, Record Membership, and Strategic Expansion

fitness-premier-mid-year-growth-2025

Woodhouse Spas

image of a woodhouse spa franchise buildings exterior 

Woodhouse Spas Continues Strong Momentum With Double-Digit Growth in Q2

woodhouse-spas-q2-2025-growth-expansion

Layne's Chicken Fingers

Layne's Chicken Fingers-Mountain-State-Devo-June-2025

Layne’s Chicken Fingers Eyes Expansion in Mountain States

laynes-chicken-fingers-franchise-mountain-states-expansion

ServiceMaster Restore

ServiceMaster Restore Powers Into the Second Half of 2025 With Growth and Purpose-Driven Impact

ServiceMaster Restore Powers Into the Second Half of 2025 With Strong Growth and Purpose-Driven Impact

servicemaster-restore-powers-into-the-second-half-of-2025-with-strong-growth-and-purpose-driven-impact

Buying a Franchise Masterclass

 Franchise Opportunities

Get Support Buying a Franchise

How to Buy a Franchise White Paper

How to Buy a Franchise

How to Sell Franchises

How to Grow a Franchise

Find a Franchise Supplier

1851 Franchise Opportunities

Franchisor News

Franchisor Power Rankings

FranCamp Mastermind Summit

Franchise Development Website Builder

Franchise Resources

What ALEC-Laffer's Report Means for Franchising

Website Awards

Power Rankings

About 1851

Advertise on 1851

Contact 1851 Editorial

Terms of Use

1851 Login

GROWTH CLUB LOGIN

facebook

instagram

twitter

linkedin

youtube

Wendy's CEO Kirk Tanner Steps Down - Breaking News - 1851 Franchise

Wendy’s CEO Kirk Tanner Steps Down Amid Challenges, Leaving Franchisees Facing Uncertainty

wendys-ceo-transition-kirk-tanner-franchisee-uncertainty

"Come in, We're OPEN" sign against abstract background

Small Business Optimism Dips, Raising Concerns for Franchise Owners

small-business-optimism-dips-raising-concerns-for-franchise-owners

Photo of Roof Scientist truck and trailer

Roof Scientist Expands Into Northern Indianapolis as Entrepreneur Dale Speckman Launches New Business in Fishers

roof-scientist-expands-into-northern-indianapolis

Image of Donald Trump pointing with red stripes in the background

August 1 Tariff Deadline Is Said to Have ‘No Extensions’: What This Could Mean for Franchises

august-1-tariff-deadline-franchise-impact

What June’s Jobs Report Means for the Franchise Industry

what-junes-jobs-report-means-for-the-franchise-industry

Kansas Couple Revitalizes Local Childcare With Children’s Lighthouse

From Corporate Careers to Community Roots: Kansas Couple Revitalizes Local Childcare With Children’s Lighthouse

kansas-couple-opens-childrens-lighthouse-gardner-olathe

From Prescriptions to Pastries: Kari Khandelwal Creates a Comforting Community Bakery 

From Prescriptions to Pastries: Kari Khandelwal Creates a Comforting Community Bakery in Overland Park, Kansas

paris-baguette-franchise-overland-park-khandelwal

Blending Tech, Hospitality and Health Care: How Three Women From Different Worlds Came Together to Build a Paris Baguette Franchise

paris-baguette-franchise-flower-mound-texas

Hely and Hiral Patel Bring Their Longtime Dream to Life With The Brass Tap

brass-tap-franchise-pasadena-maryland-hely-hiral-patel

The Ultimate Guide to Selling Franchises: How To Create a Strong Incentive

how-to-build-strong-incentives-to-attract-prospective-franchisees

Hooters Leans Into Franchising With Closure of 30 Company-Owned Stores - Agg - 1851 Franchise

Toppers Pizza Inks 22-Unit Deal with Seasoned Franchise Group to Develop in Virginia and Maryland

MORE STORIES LIKE THIS