Toppers Pizza Place

TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. Overview
2. History
3. About Toppers Pizza Place
4. Locations
a) Newest Renovations
5. Menu
6. Awards
7. References

Overview

The pizza industry has been around since the late 1700’s, starting in a little city state called
Naples in Italy. From the small businesses in Naples over
three hundred years ago to today with several well
known pizza corporations, the industry only continues to
grow to unfathomable heights around the globe (1).
Now with the plethora of different businesses that are
trekking though the competition for ‘best pizza’, there is
one that has been residing in an agricultural county on
the west coast California called Toppers Pizza Place
(1)(2). This pizza restaurant was founded by Vim and
Beth Jonker in 1990 with just one location. It has stayed
locally but kept expanding beyond the borders of Figure 1 Topper Pizza Place LOGO
Camarillo California (1). It also has flourished to 9
https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http%3A%2F%2Ftop
locations with several media, websites, and awards pers.kellygraydesignbuild.com%2Fwp-
backing the restaurant up with “excellent performance”, content%2Fuploads%2F2016%2F03%2FToppers.png&imgrefur
l=http%3A%2F%2Ftopperspizzaplace.com%2F&docid=P9YGviv
credibility, and taste (3)(4)(5). 0Zfp2ZM&tbnid=RsG44HC8CJeHCM%3A&vet=10ahUKEwjR_pi
bpofbAhUSCXw

History of Pizza:
The pizza was founded in a city-state called Naples, Italy around the late 1700’s. It was originally
developed to sustain the common hungry people of Naples in a “fast” and “cheap” way. These
early pizzas consumed by Naples’ poor featured the tasty garnishes beloved today, such as
tomatoes, cheese, oil, anchovies and garlic. Pizza had gotten so “popular” among the wealthy
and common Italians with its fresh and different taste that it had eventually transcended Italy
and finally went to Manhattan, New York. There you will find G. Lambardi’s Pizzeria built in
1905 as the first pizzeria created in America. Beyond Naples borders we see, Italian-Americans
with their delicious food colonized the nation throughout the city streets and even into rural
areas, pizza was a fan favorite. The food item went from “ethnic” cuisine to being increasingly
identified as a fast, fun food. Through its rise to popularity the pizza is now ordained with
many more toppings then one could imagine such as barbeque chicken, pineapples, or olives
depending on the region. Many recognizable restaurants will come and branch out of this
eatery as well (1).

About Toppers Pizza Place :

The pizza restaurant company was founded in the year 1990 by Vim and Beth Jonker, starting
off with its first location on Arneill road in Camarillo, CA. With the 30 years of knowledge about
the business and pizza, the chain has grown to nine different locations locally, the majority of
the Toppers Pizza Place restaurants within Ventura County and a couple outside in Santa Clarita
and Canyon Country. With its variety of awards and its personal family dining service, even with
the bigger pizza chains to compete with, “Toppers’ loyal customers have made us the busiest
and most popular pizza restaurants around”, noted by the company home website.
Furthermore, the company’s main website stated that Topper’s supports its community
through “Participation in local activities, supporting sports leagues, and helping schools and
organizations with their fundraisers are a few of the ways we support the community”. Toppers
Pizza Place is being expanded beyond Arniell road however (2).

Locations:
 as stated above, Toppers Pizza
Parlor started on Arniell road in
Camarillo, CA. and has expanded
outside of Camarillo due to business
success. In total it has now to date
nine different locations that are
kept close to the heart of Toppers.
In 2010 they made a deal with the
Ventura county in leasing a vacated
place that they flipped and turned
into a multi-layered brick dining
place in front of the Channel Islands
Harbor. In the years before Vim
Jonker wanted to lease the land,
Figure 2 New Toppers Pizza Place location by Channel Islands Harbor
the last tenant of the facility was
https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http%3A%2F%2Fchannel-islands- the Harbor Lights whom occupied
harbor.com%2FImage%2FRestaurants-Topper-
Pizza.jpg&imgrefurl=http%3A%2F%2Fchannel-islands-
there up until the failing of its
harbor.com%2FRestaurants&docid=X1lq1GasW3MJUM&tbnid=qt4OfG51md9SCM parent company. Vim Jonker
%3A&vet=10ahUKEwiz4rz8pofbAhWpqlQ uplifted the vacancy from the
county that it has been trying to fill
for around a decade. Harbor Director Lyn Krieger said, “One of the things we've been missing
down here is a lower-cost, more family- oriented place," she said. "It's nice to add that variety”.
Projects such as the one previously told has been going on over the last 30 years of its initial
start, Toppers Pizza Place has gotten into locations such as Oxnard, Port Hueneme, Thousand
Oaks, Simi Valley, Santa Clarita, and even in Canyon County (3).

Newest Renovations:
As of January 2017, the owners of the family owned pizza restaurant, Toppers Pizza Place,
announced another opening in Camarillo, CA. It is mentioned in an archive from VCStar news
that, “During an interview last summer, Toppers Pizza co-owner Vim Jonker said the current
Camarillo location opened in the 1990s and has since outgrown its 4,000-square-foot space. It
will remain in operation until the new site is ready to open its doors, he said”. Furthermore, the
renovation site will be built twice as large as the one standing there previously. Also, the
archive also does mention how other local businesses are shutting down around the area such
as John’s Pizzeria, locally owned McDonald’s chain, and more. This situation emphasizes the
success and growth of the business despite other businesses struggling (4)(6).

Menu:
 Toppers Pizza Place specializes in thin crust
pizza but that does not mean that it only serves
pizza. The menu displays various options to
the pizza place such as it provides an extensive
menu selection with the main categories of Salad
Bar, Over Baked Figure 3 Signature thin crust pizza with pepporoni and sandwiches, Pizzas-Top hit,
mushroom
multiple options for Pizza-Build Your Own, Garlic
Bread, Oven Baked https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http%3A%2F% Pasta, and two options for
2F3susu61k1r6z33l7ibshw4mv.wpengine.netdna-
dessert. This menu cdn.com%2Fwp- selection could be found in
the company’s content%2Fuploads%2F2016%2F03%2FTop-Hits-Pizzas- website or another
Spicy-Garlic-Italian-
supporting website 46A8005.jpg&imgrefurl=http%3A%2F%2Ftopperspizzapla known as Singleplatform
which goes into an extent of the menu and its choices. The multi-layered menu is shown to
ce.com%2Fmenu%2F&docid=_YPhtrve
attract a more diverse demographic group of people which in turn influences its business
among other more “popular” pizza parlors within the county. With this multiple item menu,
different locations, and family vibe restaurant it has gotten, it has produced multiple awards as
well for its performance in the kitchen (5).

Awards:
The awards below signify that the company of Vim and Beth Jonker is being received by the
community and critics well enough to be decorated with titles of “Best Pizza” and “Best Salad”
for over a span of 17 years (2). Being honored with these titles from both Ventura County and
Santa Clarita Valley has helped increase Toppers Pizzas popularity. Vim and Beth are looking to
expand to even more locations (4).

Figure 2 Award for Best Pizza given by Ventura County

http://3susu61k1r6z33l7ibshw4mv.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/2017-awards.jpg

Full Ventura County Winner:

VC Star • Best Pizza • 2000–2017
 VC Star • Best Salad • 2016–2017
VC Reporter • Best Pizza • 2008–2015

Figure 3 Award for Best Pizza in 2015 and Ultimate Pizza in 2016 given by Santa Clarita Valley

http://3susu61k1r6z33l7ibshw4mv.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/2017-awards.jpg

Santa Clarita Valley Winner:

SCV Signal Award • Best Pizza • 2014–2016
Elite Magazine Ultimate Dining Award
“Ultimate Pizza” • 2016
References :
(1) Tarim, Gayle. “A Slice Of History: Pizza Throughout The Ages” History Stories,

Accessed 27 July 2012, www.history.com/news/hungry-history/a-slice-of-history-pizza-

through-the-ages. Accessed 27 July 2012

(2) Toppers Pizza Place. Kelly Gray Design, 2017, www.topperspizzaplace.com. Accessed 25 April

2018.

(3) Biasotti, Tony. “Toppers Pizza to Lease in Harbor Lights.” Ventura County Star, 5 December

2008, www.archive.vcstar.com/news/toppers-pizza-to-lease-harbor-lights-ep-372669733-

352364391.html/. Accessed 25 April 2018.

(4) McKinnon, Lisa. “Open and Shut: Toppers Pizza orders an extra-large in Camarillo” VC Star, 17

January 2017, www.vcstar.com/story/money/business/2017/01/17/open-and-shut-toppers-pizza-

orders-extra-large-camarillo/96371234/. Accessed 25 April 2018.

(5) “Toppers Pizza Place Main Menu.” Singleplatform, www.places.singleplatform.com/toppers-

pizza-place/menu. Accessed 25 April 2018.

(6) Toppers Pizza Place Santa Clarita. Facebook, 2016,

www.facebook.com/topperspizzaplacesantaclarita/. Accessed 25 April 2018.