The Wisconsin-based pizza franchise will test the new menu of vegan pizzas and sauces at its Madison locations starting July 20 before rolling it out system-wide in October.
For 25 years, Toppers Pizza has been dishing out high-quality pizzas, Topperstix and wings with its signature Wisconsin flair, always with a focus on menu innovation. Now, the 60+ unit chain is partnering with Melanie Manuel, vegan chef and owner of all-vegan Milwaukee restaurant Celesta, to develop and test a vegan menu. The new menu is being tested at the Toppers Pizza locations in Madison, Wisconsin, starting on July 20 and will be rolled out nationally in October.
The new vegan menu will feature dairy-free mozzarella and plant-based crispy chicken toppings, dairy-free ranch and Korean BBQ sauce (also available in Dippin’ Cups), along with three vegan house pizzas:
- Vegan Buffalo Chicken-less Topper with mild buffalo sauce, smothered in dairy-free mozzarella, topped with plant-based crispy chicken and green onions, drizzled with dairy-free ranch.
- Vegan Korean BBQ Chicken-less Topper with Korean BBQ sauce, smothered in dairy-free mozzarella, topped with plant-based crispy chicken, onions and green peppers.
- Vegan Tuscano Topper with homemade pizza sauce, smothered in dairy-free mozzarella, topped with garlic-roasted tomatoes, green olives and spinach.
“At Toppers, we’ve always focused on giving our customers what they want, and this partnership shows that we are listening to changing consumer preferences and finding a way to meet them while staying true to the bold flavors that make Toppers special,” said Mac Malchow, Director of National Marketing & Menu Innovation. “We knew we wanted to create a vegan menu, and we were drawn to Melanie’s love of creating house-made, soulful vegan dishes inspired by classic, familiar recipes. The partnership was a natural fit.”
The plant-conscious chef became a vegetarian at the age of 16 and earned a certification in plant-based nutrition from Cornell University before opening Celesta in 2018.
“Being able to partner with a leading brand with fans across the country to provide a platform for vegan food has been an incredible opportunity,” said Manuel. “I can’t wait for this menu to roll out at Toppers Pizza locations nationally to play a part in normalizing vegan food.”
ABOUT TOPPERS PIZZA
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 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 2018, Entrepreneur Magazine ranked Toppers as one of the Top 200 Food-Based Franchises. For more information on Toppers Pizza, visit https://www.toppers.com/.
