Restaurant and Franchise Industry Veteran David Biederman Takes on EVP Role to Continue Success of Wisconsin-based Pizza Brand Heading into 2018
Toppers Pizza is proud to announce that David Biederman has been promoted to Executive Vice President. In this role, Biederman will take on broad-based authority and responsibility, including increased involvement in marketing and operations while continuing to lead the development department for the growing pizza franchise.
“I’m excited to work directly with David in his new role as we get ready to enter 2018,” said Scott Gittrich, founder and president of Toppers Pizza. “Our goal is to continue to create great results by delivering for our guests and team members. We’ll work with the entire Toppers leadership team and our system of dedicated and incredible franchisees to achieve that goal and continue to enhance the Toppers Pizza experience.”
Biederman has spent four decades in the restaurant business in high level leadership positions in the areas of marketing, operations and development at concepts like McDonald’s, Quiznos, and Smashburger before joining Toppers Pizza in 2016 as chief development officer.
“We truly have something special with the Toppers Pizza model, our approach to customer service, and the overall unique and passionate culture embodied by our system of franchise owners and team members,” said Biederman. “As we enter a new year, I am motivated by the fact that our guests don’t settle for lesser pizza options and am driven to continue our efforts to improve their experience.”
Biederman’s promotion comes as the company also adds new Director of Social Media and Public Relations, Colleen Glendinning, as well as new Franchise Sales Coordinator, Joanne Esser.
Glendinning first experienced Toppers Pizza as a student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She got her start in the restaurant industry working for a Qdoba franchisee in Wisconsin after college. From there, she worked at Noodles & Company as part of the field marketing team, eventually being promoted to Regional Marketing Manager. In the role, she was responsible for developing the local marketing plans in her territory. In her time at Noodles & Company, Glendinning oversaw the opening of 58 restaurants, preparing her for Toppers Pizza where the company has plans to have 200 locations open by 2020.
“I’ve always felt pulled to the restaurant industry,” said Glendinning. “Toppers Pizza approached me and it felt like the right time and the right need. The collaboration between the field marketing team, the design team, the agency partners and everyone else involved is what really sold me. I’m loving it every day so far. There is a true entrepreneurial spirit here that allows us to be innovative and try new ideas, so there is a lot we can do and I’m genuinely excited for the potential.”
Esser will join the development team as they continue a mission of smart growth and expansion. She will be working with qualified franchise prospects interested in joining the growing Toppers Pizza system. Previously, Esser worked at Batteries Plus Bulbs. Both Esser and Glendinning will provide valuable assistance to a corporate team that continues to hone in on ways to improve unit level economics and pairing it with strategic growth.
Toppers Pizza is set to open 15 locations by the end of 2017 and enters 2018 with a focus on investing in existing franchisees and enhancing the in-store, delivery and online ordering experience while also continuing growth momentum through strategic expansion in targeted markets with qualified franchise candidates.
Capitalizing on the booming better pizza category and fueled by the passion of Founder & President Scott Gittrich and a team of experienced industry veterans, Toppers Pizza has formulated the perfect recipe to appeal to both pizza enthusiasts and savvy investors. Headquartered in Wisconsin, Toppers is one of the fastest growing better-pizza chains in the United States. The brand has doubled in size over the last three years and completely sold out three states based on growth spurred by both existing franchisees and established multi-unit operators. Now with restaurants in 16 states and with territories immediately available across the country, Toppers is on its way to becoming a nationwide brand. Toppers is committed to quality and consistency throughout the system, and plans to maintain corporate ownership of 25 percent of all locations while the brand expands to continuously improve on best practices and product development. Toppers fanatics love the brand’s fresh, handmade and customizable pizza baked in about 360 seconds and delivered extremely fast, with more than a million combinations of fresh, high quality toppings, and the brand’s signature line of flavored Topperstix and baked Buffalo wings. In 2017, Entrepreneur Magazine ranked Toppers as one of the top 500 franchises in the U.S for the third year in a row and in 2016, QSR Magazine listed the company as one of the year’s Best Franchise Deals. For more information on how to join the rapidly growing Toppers family and for a sneak peek into the Toppers experience, visit http://www.toppersfranchise.com.
