Leah Perri/Winonan

Dreams may have finally came true: not only has Toppers Pizza opened a location in Winona, but they are also the first Toppers in the country to offer the new “Chocolate Baconstix”—a combination of three popular foods: bacon, chocolate and pizza bread. That’s right – it exists.

To celebrate their grand delicious opening in Winona, Toppers is throwing a little party for themselves and the community.

Free samples will be provided on Saturday, Jan. 25, from 10 p.m. until midnight on the corner of Third and Walnut at their “Party Later-Than-Late: Grand Opening,” complete with games and prizes. Attendees will be able to sample five different types of Topperstix along with sixteen different types of dipping sauces.

Toppers will be providing “Stix Shuttle,” a free limo service that will pick up students from both Winona State University and St. Mary’s University and bring them to the party. These students will have VIP access to skip the waiting line.

Owners Phil and Denise Downing have been a part of the Toppers franchise for more than 16 years and currently own four different Toppers locations in Minnesota.

Denise, who says she and her husband have been working on opening a Winona location for some time, is very excited to finally be a part of the Winona community.

“I think the community was waiting for Toppers to come,” she said.  “There was already great awareness about Toppers Pizza to begin with. We had awesome sales our first two weeks without any advertising.”

To set themselves apart from other pizza places, Toppers recognizes that people desire a large variety of food choices. About 70 percent of the Toppers menu items are not carried by other pizza competitors, which make their brand extremely unique, according to Denise.

Toppers’s claim-to-fame menu item, “Topperstix,” is one of the brand’s biggest selling points.

Topperstix are garlic and buttery breadsticks topped with mozzarella cheese accompanied with a choice of sixteen different dipping sauces.

The current hot selling item is the Chocolate Baconstix: chocolate, donut-like creations topped with sizzling hot bacon.

“They have been selling like crazy,” Denise said.

Toppers also sells original and boneless wings, available in six different legendary flavors as well as their famous pizza. Toppers offers delivery, carry-out, dine-in and catering services.

“We are very excited for Toppers to be the late-night food choice for Winona,” Denise said.

The Stix Shuttle for the Toppers grand opening party will be picking up Winona State students at 9:45 p.m., 10:45 p.m. and 11:45 p.m. outside of Kryzsko Commons and St. Mary’s students at 10:15 p.m. and 11:15 p.m. from Millennium Clock Tower.

Contact Leah at [email protected]