Toppers Pizza, which began life in Wisconsin college towns, has created a cultlike following that now is helping it expand. Many customers ate Toppers’ pies while in school or working for the concept, making pizzas or delivering them to dorms. The brand is so strong among Wisconsin’s college-educated customers they remain loyal years later, boosting sales in noncollege towns beyond those of units in college towns, said Scott Gittrich, founder, president and chief executive of Toppers Pizza Inc., franchisor for the 25-unit chain based in Whitewater, Wis.
Gittrich spent seven years with a Domino’s franchise before starting Toppers in 1991. He projects Toppers will do $21 million in systemwide sales this year, an increase of 30 percent from 2008. The company also has already opened five of the nine new stores planned for 2009, including a new prototype store that is located next to the corporate office and is being used to train new franchisees. For some students, the enthusiasm for Toppers goes beyond just being a customer. Ninety percent of Toppers franchisees—all of the units are franchised—are University of Wisconsin graduates.
What’s up with all the U.W. alum franchisees?
They love us when they are in college. A few years later, hating their jobs selling Yellow Pages, they see us springing up here and there and they contact us. A lot have worked at Toppers or delivered pizza while in college, and they see the big numbers. [Average unit sales are $945,000.] Obviously, nationwide we’re a small player, but inside of Wisconsin we’re the dominant player, and those people know it.
Why now for the new training store? Are you finding it harder to maintain control over the brand and culture as you grow the company?
I don’t think it’s getting harder. We’ve got a great culture. That’s what’s so special about it. The training restaurant sprang out of the challenge of needing to train franchisees in a prototype store. This store will be just like their store—the same equipment, the exact same layout. We bring them in for 28 days of intensive training. It’s their store. It’s home.
So is being a UW grad a prerequisite to being a franchisee?
Oh no. [Laughs] We’re getting more and more good franchisees who are businesspeople looking to open a handful of stores in a market. We want diversity and energetic people with the financial wherewithal to open a store or develop an area.