1851

Since <a href="http://www.toppersfranchise.com/?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=toppers-pizzas-new-vp-of-information-technology-is-helping-the-brand-stay-ahead-of-the-technology-curve-5774#intro" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Toppers Pizza&#8217;s</a> inception in 1991, their core methodology has remained the same&#8212;do exactly what all the bigger chains are doing, which is quick delivery, but with the huge advantage of offering a better, and much more high-quality product. In other words, the brand was&#8212;and will always be&#8212;hell-bent on offering fresh, innovative ideas in a big, tired and crowded space. In particular, <a href="https://topperspizza.1851franchise.com/?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=toppers-pizzas-new-vp-of-information-technology-is-helping-the-brand-stay-ahead-of-the-technology-curve-5774" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Toppers&#8217;</a> technology has helped them stay ahead of the curve&#8212;and both franchisees and consumers are noticing. In 2015, a new and improved Toppers.com was launched as an e-commerce site. Enhancements were made to simply and speed up the online ordering process, and a new responsive design allowed customers to have a pizza delivered to their door in less than 25 minutes with the touch of a button. Since then, Toppers has seen nearly 42 percent of system-wide orders being placed online. But true to their slogan, Toppers isn&#8217;t a brand that&#8217;s willing to settle&#8212;even when they&#8217;re already on top. That&#8217;s why, in May 2016, they introduced Tony Ellis to their team&#8212;the brand&#8217;s first-ever vice president of information technology. Prior to joining Toppers, Ellis had spent his entire career working in technology. For more than 12 years, he helped lead the IT Operations for BuySeasons, the leading online retailer of costumes, accessories, party supplies and d&#233;cor. By early 2016, when Ellis decided it was time to explore new opportunities, he turned to a company that he had long been familiar with&#8212;Toppers Pizza. It&#8217;s a relationship that dates as far back as Ellis&#8217; college days&#8212;as a student at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, he had spent many late nights finding solace in the brand&#8217;s famed Topperstix. Decades later, everything came full circle, and Ellis realized he could apply the same knowledge he had acquired while driving high-growth at BuySeasons to Toppers, a brand that he believed was on the cusp of even bigger and better things. Having a company culture that he could easily identify with didn&#8217;t hurt either. Now, to help Toppers achieve its full growth potential, Ellis has come on board with two key goals in mind: the brand needed both a cloud-first and mobile-first approach to technology. &#8220;Technology is a building block within an organization, and if we have a strong foundation, we can grow quickly. This starts with having an enhanced cloud-based system that&#8217;ll give us scalability. The cloud is essentially an enabler&#8212;it enables companies that don&#8217;t have a giant IT department to get those same full benefits without being slowed down as we continue to grow,&#8221; Ellis said. &#8220;We also want to give our customers what they want, and that starts with improving our mobile experience. Ease-of-use will remain a top priority as we look at ways to move forward with our technology.&#8221; As Ellis nears the four-month mark on the job, he&#8217;s already made progress on those goals. From day one, his first task at hand was to improve upon Toppers&#8217; cloud technology foundation. His mission was to enhance the speed and stability of Toppers.com&#8212;both as a mobile and desktop experience&#8212;so that during peak ordering hours, users aren&#8217;t experiencing a slow-down in load times. Today, Ellis is proud to say that Toppers.com now loads 30 to 50 times faster. &#8220;Consumers these days are growing less and less tolerant of waiting for a website to load, so this was an important project for me from the very beginning. We didn&#8217;t want to lose visitors to our website because they were growing impatient,&#8221; Ellis said. &#8220;We&#8217;ve already seen a substantial improvement. Faster load times mean more sales, so that was an outstanding outcome to see in just four months. In fact, during Toppers&#8217; 25-cent pizza sale recently&#8212;one of our top traffic events&#8212;everything went off without any hiccups from the technology side.&#8221; Now, Ellis&#8217; No. 1 goal is to continue moving forward on building&#8212;and guiding&#8212;the next generation platform that will ultimately power Toppers&#8217; e-commerce website and growing system of 76 stores. From the brand&#8217;s back-end POS system to the consumer-facing Toppers.com, Ellis says the new project will completely reimagine the technology fueling Toppers from the ground up. &#8220;The ultimate goal is to put Toppers in a position where we&#8217;re providing great technology in the pizza space. We want to be a leader and an innovator in our segment and in the restaurant industry as a whole,&#8221; Ellis said. &#8220;I&#8217;m confident this new platform will be the key piece to that next phase.&#8221;

1851 Franchise

After three months on the job, Tony Ellis is already reimagining the technology fueling the entire Toppers system. 


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's New VP of Information Technology is Helping the Brand Stay Ahead of the Technology Curve

toppers-pizzas-new-vp-of-information-technology-is-helping-the-brand-stay-ahead-of-the-technology-curve

Onigilly Japanese Kitchen

Unlocking the Potential: How Much Can You Earn as an Onigilly Franchisee?

unlocking-the-potential-how-much-can-you-earn-as-an-onigilly-franchisee

Filta Environmental Kitchen Solutions

DeWitts Ignite New Chapter for Filta Environmental Kitchen Solutions in Reno 

Grease, Grit, and Growth: DeWitts Ignite New Chapter for Filta Environmental Kitchen Solutions in Reno, Nevada

grease-grit-and-growth-dewitts-ignite-new-chapter-for-filta-environmental-kitchen-solutions-in-reno-nevada

Layne's Chicken Fingers

Layne's Chicken Fingers-50 Unit-Wendy's-Franchisee-June-2025

Why This 50 Unit Wendy’s Franchisee Is Betting on Layne’s for His Next Big Move

wendys-franchisee-expands-with-laynes-chicken-fingers-texas

CapitalSpring

CapitalSpring’s Jim Balis Talks Growth, ROI and the Future of Fast Casual on “Rock My Restaurant”

capitalsprings-jim-balis-talks-growth-roi-and-the-future-of-fast-casual-on-rock-my-restaurant

Children's Lighthouse

Children’s Lighthouse Ramps Up Growth in First Half of 2025 With Strategic Expansions, Franchise Signings, and New Headquarters

childrens-lighthouse-ramps-up-growth-in-first-half-of-2025-with-strategic-expansions-franchise-signings-and-new-headquarters

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

What June’s Jobs Report Means for the Franchise Industry

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

Drone Delivery Takes Flight in QSR: The Future of Franchise Operations?

drone-delivery-takes-flight-in-qsr-the-future-of-franchise-operations

Chick-fil-A Tops Customer Satisfaction Rankings for 11th Year as Challenger Brands Gain Ground

chick-fil-a-tops-customer-satisfaction-rankings-for-11th-year-as-challenger-brands-gain-ground

Technomic Releases Annual Ranking of the Top 15 Fast-Food Chains in the U.S.

technomic-releases-annual-ranking-of-the-top-15-fast-food-chains-in-the-us

Rising Jobless Claims Could Signal Challenges — and Opportunities — for Franchising

rising-jobless-claims-affect-franchising

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

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

Top 25 Franchise Marketing Leaders: Kelsey McManemin — Vice President of Marketing, HTeaO

top-25-franchise-marketing-leaders-kelsey-mcmanemin-vice-president-of-marketing-hteao

Photo of a large group of people standing in a circle, placing hands together in center

Franchise Opportunities for Minorities: Expanding the Franchise Network

franchise-opportunities-for-minorities

Amanda Evans - Stellar Service Brands - Franchise Marketing Leaders 2025 - 1851 Franchise

Top 25 Franchise Marketing Leaders: Amanda Evans — Senior Vice President of Marketing, Stellar Service Brands

stellar-service-brands-marketing-leader-amanda-evans

How Vishal Juneja Turned a Family Tradition Into a Paris Baguette Franchise

How Vishal Juneja Turned a Family Tradition Into a Paris Baguette Franchise Built on Heart and Community

paris-baguette-franchise-rockaway-new-jersey-vishal-junjea

Franchisee spotlight graphic with photo of Ricki Oberoi and Layne's Chicken Fingers logo

Multi-Unit Wendy’s Operator Signs 12-Unit Deal With Layne’s Chicken Fingers

ricki-oberoi-laynes-chicken-fingers-growth

Franchisee spotlight graphic with photos of Danielle Rosemond & Usman Khan & TruBlue logo

Family Members of Local Physicians Bring TruBlue Franchise to North Central Nassau, Long Island: A Health Care-Inspired Approach to Aging in Place

family-brings-trublue-franchise-to-north-central-nassau

How This Franchise Consultant Turned a Love for Dogs Into a Business with Dog Training Elite

How This Franchise Consultant Turned a Lifelong Love for Dogs Into a Growing Business with Dog Training Elite

how-this-franchise-consultant-turned-a-lifelong-love-for-dogs-into-a-growing-business-with-dog-training-elite

Toppers Pizza's New VP of Information Technology is Helping the Brand Stay Ahead of the Technology Curve

MORE STORIES LIKE THIS