Editor’s note: Toppers Pizza’s World Headquarters is located at 333 W. Center Street in Whitewater. So far all of their locations are in the U.S., but with Scott’s business acumen and ambition, who knows?
According to an article on pizzamarketplace.com, “Scott Gittrich and his wife, Robin, are on the trip of a lifetime. No, they’re not traveling to an exotic beach or daring countryside. Instead, they’re traveling to all 71 stores in the Toppers Pizza franchise.
Gittrich, founder and president for the Whitewater, Wisconsin-based pizza chain, and Robin, vice president of HR, are traveling the country to learn what makes each restaurant tick and gather intel from their employees — dubbed “rockstars.” It’s an ambitious undertaking, but one the Gittriches will gladly undertake if it means strengthening the company.
Gittrich founded Toppers Pizza in 1991. Today, the brand has 26 company stores and 45 franchise units. The AUV [average unit volume] sits at almost $1.2 million. The brand is 95% QSR [quick serve restaurant], with the majority being carryout and delivery.
“We’ve had 15 quarters of same-store sales growth, so it’s been a nice run,” Gittrich said in a phone interview, attributing the increase in sales to being the right kind of business in the midst of a pandemic. Toppers was already set up for carryout and delivery when the shutdowns occurred, so it didn’t really have to pivot.
Toppers has invested millions into building its own technology infrastructure. Seventy-seven percent of business is digital, another pandemic-era boon that showed the company was situated perfectly to handle business during COVID-19. As a QSR, it was able to stay open when other brands had to close.”
“When Pizza Marketplace caught up with the Gittriches, they were traveling the longest distance between two stores — Ft. Worth, Texas, to Charlotte, North Carolina. That’s a lot of road time to talk about their $84 million brand and the big franchise growth they’ve got planned.
All in all, their trek should last about two months. Although the brand usually has people traveling to restaurants, the road trip is a first for Gittrich, who’s looking for “high accountability and high support.”
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