Toppers Pizza has been serving beloved cheesy offerings, high-quality pizza, Topperstix and wings with a signature Wisconsin flair for over 25 years. Now, after a successful test of its new vegan menu in the Madison market, the brand is rolling out the menu at its 60-plus locations nationwide starting on Monday, October 5.
“We’ve been testing these recipes and toppings in our Madison market, and the response from the community has been tremendous,” says Toppers Pizza Director of National Marketing & Menu Innovation, Mac Malchow. “We couldn’t be happier with the results we’ve seen and are looking forward to offering these options to the vegan community, which is largely underserved in the space.”
The menu, curated by Melanie Manuel, vegan chef and owner of all-vegan Milwaukee restaurant Celesta, will introduce four new toppings — dairy-free mozzarella, plant-based crispy chicken, dairy-free ranch and Korean BBQ sauce (also available in individual Dippin’ Cups).
Each of the new ingredients will be featured in three new, all-vegan house pizza offerings: the Vegan Buffalo Chicken-less Topper with mild buffalo sauce, smothered in dairy-free mozzarella cheese, topped with plant-based crispy chicken and green onions and drizzled with dairy-free ranch; the Vegan Korean BBQ Chicken-less Topper with Korean BBQ sauce, smothered in dairy-free mozzarella cheese, topped with plant-based crispy chicken, onions and green peppers; and the Vegan Tuscano Topper with homemade pizza sauce, dairy-free mozzarella cheese, topped with garlic-roasted tomatoes, green olives and tasty spinach.
“Our vegan customers have been lacking options in the pizza delivery and pickup segment of the restaurant industry, and we’re excited to be able to offer delicious new pizzas and toppings for them to enjoy,” says Malchow. “We’re in the process of innovating flavors for our core offerings of pizzas and Topperstix and have a lot of new, exciting items in the pipeline.”
Manuel, a plant-conscious chef who has been a vegetarian herself since the age of 16, says she’s thrilled to have been able to work with Toppers to showcase vegan food as a regular part of the classic menu.
“It’s been a fantastic experience to partner with a leading brand with fans across the country to normalize vegan offerings,” adds Manuel. “We’re looking forward to being able to provide a platform for vegan food through a predominantly cheese-based pizza brand.”
The vegan menu offerings will be available at all Toppers locations starting on Monday, October 5.