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Franchisee and Manager, Sue Wilke, Earns Franchise’s Top Honor

News » Franchisee and Manager, Sue Wilke, Earns Franchise’s Top Honor

In 2009, the face of the pizza industry frowned, as sales were sluggish and growth was stunted. Toppers Pizza, though, dodged a slowdown with increased average unit volumes and system-wide sales; and five new units. When the big chains are down, Toppers has remained up, taking names and gripping its share of the $40-plus-billlion pizza industry and it is managers like Sue Wilke which have led the brand to unrivaled success.
Manager and franchisee of Toppers Pizza in Mankato, Sue Wilke, won Toppers Pizza’s most prestigious award this year. She was elected manager of the year for her commitment to excellent operations, staff development, sales growth, and franchise company growth, which resulted in increasing same-store sales 11.58% from the previous year, maintaining the highest attainable level store in Toppers Operational Excellence program as well as streamlining other operational areas.
Wilke was awarded 2009-2010 Manager of the Year at Topper’s Annual Convention held this June.
“Our managers are the most important component to our success,” said Scott Gittrich, CEO and Founder of Toppers Pizza. “Toppers has a great product, great branding and most of all loyal fans behind it to support growth. But, ultimately it’s up to the managers to make sure that our locations operate successfully and Sue Wilke is the perfect example of managers we want in our system.”
Sue and her husband, Paul Wilke opened Toppers in September 2007 and have made Toppers Pizza a household name in Mankato. With contracts with both the Minnesota State University athletics department and the Verizon Wireless Civic Center, Toppers Pizza of Mankato stretches far beyond the four walls of the physical location.
In the previous two years, the Wilke’s were named “Sales Builders of the Year” for their ability to gain market share and create a positive brand experience for their customers.
“Over the past year, I concentrated on reducing my labor and food costs,” Sue Wilke said. “But more than anything, I put emphasis on training my team to be great and together we ran a tight ship that was fun, full of passion and profitable for everyone.”
ABOUT TOPPERS
As a 26-unit eclectic pizza delivery franchise brand, Toppers Pizza, headquartered in Whitewater, WI, takes a unique approach to the crowded pizza segment by appealing to 18-34 year olds in an irreverent way that totally separates them from the competition. Toppers’ menu includes 17 house pizzas; the franchise’s signature product line Topperstix; Oven-Toasted Grinders; Buffalo Wings; Quesadillas; and cold drinks. The brand has strongly established itself in Wisconsin, and is now in the midst of Midwest and then national growth. By focusing on Toppers’ demographic friendly markets, Toppers is able to continue its building of a fanatical relationship with its customer base. For more information on Toppers, visit www.toppers.com.