At 21, Adam Oldenburg was navigating the streets and delivering pies for Toppers Pizza. He didn’t see it as a dead-end job. He had bigger ambitions.
He wanted to run the company.
Today, Oldenburg, now 39, is doing just that. He completed his first year as CEO of Toppers Pizza in May, taking over after the 30-year leadership tenure of Toppers founder Scott Gittrich. And it’s been one heck of a transformative year for the brand.
Now that he’s in the top position, he remains laser-focused on growing Toppers’ franchisee network, menu innovation, leveraging cutting-edge technology and marketing—all to support current and future franchisees. In addition to his role as CEO, Oldenburg also owns six Toppers franchises himself.
Among Oldenburg’s most successful initiatives thus far has been the re-franchising of company-owned locations. In a strategic move to enhance the brand’s success while fostering growth from within, Toppers Pizza re-franchised 11 stores, all of which transferred to existing franchisees or current internal operators.
That move has created unique ownership opportunities for dedicated team members who have grown within the Toppers family—in keeping with the CEO’s personal history.
Another franchisee who started within the Toppers system is Chester Ison. Along with his investment partner, Marcus Tincher, he purchased four existing stores and signed a franchise agreement to open a new unit in Beloit, Wisconsin. Ison previously won the Toppers Spirit Award and was recently honored with the President’s Award at the 2024 Toppers Annual Convention.
Under Oldenburg’s leadership, Toppers Pizza aims to expand to 100 stores by 2026 and 500 units within the next decade. Toppers currently has 70 stores in 11 states, primarily in the Midwest. The re-franchising strategy aligns with these goals, ensuring that the brand’s efforts are concentrated on supporting and expanding its franchisee network.
According to the company, other areas in which Toppers plans to bolster franchisees’ profitability and success include:
Supply Chain Efficiency: By leveraging shared services, the brand is able to reduce costs and boost sales.
Technology Integration: Oldenburg aims to improve the guest experience through the use of advanced technology that streamlines operations, improves accuracy and cuts down on wait times.
Financial Support: Reducing costs for franchisees by refinancing and negotiating systemwide vendor contracts is expected to set each store up for success.
Menu Innovation: With a high frequency of rolling out popular new products tied to unique promotional strategies, Toppers has been able to increase profits and margins on these new items.
Customer Data: Since Oldenburg has taken the reigns, Toppers has started using both qualitative and quantitative customer data with great success.
Additionally, as the delivery business continues to evolve in the post-COVID economy, Oldenburg has shifted the brand’s focus to increasing carryout business. This allows Toppers to provide price-point value to consumers during a challenging inflationary period. By adapting to changing consumer behaviors and focusing on value and convenience, Toppers has experienced a notable increase in carryout orders due to new promotions and other marketing initiatives, the company said.
Gittrich founded Toppers Pizza in Whitewater in 1991. Today, according to the brand, franchisees achieve a $1,100,000-plus AUV across the entire system.
“My vision for Toppers is to build a brand that our team members and franchisees are proud of and our guests are loyal to,” Oldenburg said. “Our focus on providing the best franchise support system in the pizza space is absolutely foundational to achieving our long-term growth goals.”
