Macaroni pizza? Tater-tot pizza? You’ll find the quirky combinations on the menu at Wisconsin-based Toppers Pizza, which has recently opened two restaurants in Alexandria. More than 20 new locations are planned across Northern Virginia, according to the company.
The company is scouting locations nearby in Old Town Alexandria, Kingstowne, Fort Belvoir and Fairfax.
Photo by Alexandria Living Magazine
Jake Ferdenzi
Toppers Pizza GM Jake Ferdenzi pauses for a photo near the pizza oven and a giant map of the area for delivery drivers.
Their motto? “Never settle.”
They’re not only talking about their product — pizza — but the company culture of having fun on the job too, said General Manager Jake Ferdenzi, who moved to Northern Virginia last year to work for the company.
Toppers Pizza takes pride in their ingredients and pizza-making process, using Wisconsin-made cheese and making their own pizza dough in-house — two reasons why Ferdenzi, 32, a self-professed pizza lover, loves working there.
Ferdenzi also is having a ball practicing how fast he can make pizzas in order to compete in the company’s nationwide pizza-making contest next month in the Wisconsin Dells.
He’ll compete against employees from some of the company’s other 80-plus restaurants in 16 states.
Ferdenzi will have to make six pizzas as fast as he can in order to win the national title. “I just try to stay motivated — I’ve been making pizzas a long time, 15 years,” said the North Carolina native who moved to Virginia to work with his father Jim, who is also in the business.
Every pizza has to be made according to the company’s specifications. “If there are imperfections they’ll call you out right then and there,” he said with a laugh during a chat one night this week at the pizza company’s Richmond Highway store.
He’s been practicing and his best time for making six pizzas so far is one minute and 29 seconds. If he wins the top prize, he’ll take home $4,000. If he breaks the company record of one minute, 35 seconds, he’ll win an extra $500.
“I’m going to shoot for the record,” he said. If he wins, he might just take himself on a tropical island vacation.
Although Ferdenzi’s all-time favorite pizza is pepperoni, he recommends newbies try Toppers’ Buffalo Chicken Mac ’n Cheese, with hand-tossed pizza crust. Here’s a description of the pizza, which runs about 400 calories per slice: Creamy cheese sauce and macaroni noodles, topped with cheddar, mozzarella, buffalo chicken and applewood smoked bacon and drizzled with hot buffalo sauce.
If you’re still hungry after that you can check out Chocolate Baconstix from the dessert menu.
The company has opened two restaurants so far in the Alexandria area — one at 3827 Mt. Vernon Ave. in Alexandria and the other at 6676 Richmond Highway. The restaurants are mainly delivery and carry-out but there are a few tables for dining available at the eateries.
The Mt. Vernon Avenue store, which opened late last year, has earned four out of five stars on Yelp courtesy of 28 reviews. The newer Richmond Highway store has garnered 4.5 stars based on 11 Yelp reviews.
