N.C. native Corbett Harris to diversify his franchise portfolio with fast-growing pizza concept, bringing Toppers’ craveworthy food to his home state
Toppers Pizza, the nationwide chain redefining the QSR pizza space with its unmatched customer service and bold flavors, is welcoming a dynamic new franchisee to the Toppers family, illustrating the brand’s growing popularity and reputation among multi-unit owners. Corbett Harris, a Greenville, N.C. resident, will be opening seven locations of the popular pizza delivery brand in Greenville, Raleigh-Durham and Chapel Hill.
Harris is a passionate entrepreneur who originally signed on to open two Toppers locations, but quickly expanded his growth plan to five units during the discovery process, driven by the highly personalized and collaborative experience he had with Toppers’ team. After doing further research in neighboring markets, he realized the untapped potential within the pizza segment regionally, which spurred his decision to further grow his market share—adding two more territories for a total of seven units.
“Corbett has been a perfect fit for us when it comes to Toppers’ culture, brand ideology, vision and growth trajectory,” said Toppers’ Vice President of Development Mac Malchow, who worked closely with Harris throughout development. “He sees the massive potential of the pizza segment, understands the urgency of securing high-quality territories and is a prime example of embracing Toppers’ full growth opportunities. We’re thrilled to welcome such a savvy operator into the Toppers family and grow together.”
Already an established and successful multi-unit franchise owner at only 35 years old, Harris opened his first Jimmy John’s in 2015 and quickly grew his investment in the concept to 13 Jimmy John’s locations, with plans to continue growing his operation and portfolio in the coming years. In 2021, Harris began exploring new concepts to diversify his portfolio, including everything from coffee shops to taco restaurants. Having personally enjoyed working at a pizzeria in his youth, he opened his search to innovative pizza concepts. He quickly identified Toppers as a brand that could play a critical role in helping him achieve his aggressive entrepreneurial goals. In his final decision, Harris cited the concept’s flavor-packed menu offerings, technological innovation, values and dedication to its franchisees as key factors.
“I’ve seen the massive success of early adopters, so I wanted to invest in an emerging concept that had all the key ingredients for rapid growth, and Toppers perfectly fit that bill,” said Harris. “But, I also wanted to build my future with a brand that aligned with my personal ideology. Although this is my business, this is truly a business for God and I strongly believe our morals, values and vision are shown through ministry through the work place.”
Harris also noted that he is excited to bring Toppers’ bold flavors to his home state.
“Compared to much of the country, the Southeast currently lacks many options for quality pizza, so I’m thrilled to introduce my fellow North Carolinians to Toppers’ famous ‘Za’ with our handmade dough and 100% Wisconsin cheese – at great Toppers prices,” said Harris.
A graduate of Appalachian State University in Boone, N.C., Harris’ commitment to people and his community is evident in his desire to give his employees greater opportunities. Employee funds and employee of the month are standards at his company, but the team constantly looks for opportunities to go above-and-beyond for the staff. His company has been known to gift bicycles to employees, provide corporate chaplains for employees in need and other incentives.
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 18 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 toppers.com/franchise and follow the brand on Facebook and Instagram.
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