The fast-growing pizza brand brought on McFeeters to build franchise development more strategically.
Toppers Pizza, the rapidly growing pizza delivery franchise with 70+ units open, recently named James “Jimmy” McFeeters as Vice President of Development.
McFeeters brings more than 10 years of experience to the role. Most recently, he served as vice president of development and franchise Sales at WOWorks. Previously, he spent over five years as senior director of franchise sales at FOCUS Brands, where he was a significant contributor in pushing Schlotzsky’s economic growth and development.
“Bringing Jimmy onto the Toppers Pizza leadership team to oversee franchise development is a major step for us as we look to double down on franchise development in 2023. We look forward to the vision and leadership that Jimmy will bring to the brand,” said Scott Gittrich, Toppers Pizza CEO.
“When I visited with the team before being hired, I immediately experienced the warm, inviting and highly relational culture that Toppers has built,” said McFeeters. “There’s a lot of rich history here with the Toppers team, and it is apparent that Toppers has built a team that is deeply connected to its mission, vision and origins. The brand’s longevity and the team’s culture are major reasons I took this position.”
In recent years, Toppers has been heavily focused on corporate development. In his new role, McFeeters will begin to build franchise development more strategically.
“Toppers hasn’t historically been well known for franchise development, but they have all the right ingredients for huge success,” said McFeeters. “We are focused on unit-level economics that set the franchisee up for greatest success.”
When it comes to cultivating a supportive culture and franchise family, Toppers’ robust corporate team, which is much larger than most brands its size, offers a high level of support in which all franchisees’ voices are heard.
McFeeters will leverage the brand’s approach to real estate, which is a more streamlined and simple model compared to others in the franchise development space. In 2022, Toppers is expected to have three new units open, and coming into his role, McFeeters expects to more than double that in 2023 and build that pipeline even more in 2024.
For more information or to order online for delivery or pickup, please visit www.toppers.com.
Founded in 1991 as an alternative to big-box pizza, Toppers is built on a bold attitude with the product to back it up. Headquartered in Whitewater, Wisconsin, 70+ Toppers locations are on a mission to redefine what customers should expect from QSR pizza. The menu features unique flavors, bold recipes, crave-worthy Topperstix, signature wings, specialty desserts and a growing selection of offerings for diverse lifestyles. By consistently giving customers what they want, Toppers has forged an untapped space in the pizza industry and is thriving in a digital-first post-pandemic world. World-class technology ranking among the top QSR pizza concepts, consistent menu innovation, a powerfully focused digital media strategy, and Gen Z-centric social media channels drive 75%+ of sales online for the brand. With franchisees achieving a $1,100,000+ average unit volume across the entire system and 17 consecutive quarters of same-store sales increases, Toppers Pizza is primed for major growth and is looking for like-minded franchisees to join its system. For more information, visit https://www.toppers.com/franchise and follow the brand on Facebook and Instagram.
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