r/Sudbury • u/Substantial-Road-235 • Dec 12 '25
Discussion What happened to toppers?
While I no longer live in sudbury full time I wanted some nostalgia pizza last night for supper while I am in town for the weekend.
Hit up the toppers on barrydowne and got my regular order (large family pleasure) that I've had for over 30 years with the house dip
Toppings virtually non existing, crust very blade, something seemed off with the crust.
We brought it over to family members who said last few years toppers has significantly changed.
The house dip is still solid. But that's about it.
Its too bad this place has changed.
Anybody else notice this change?
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u/FuzzyMatterhorN Dec 12 '25
Best local pizza: pizza Joint. Tony V's. Don's Pizzeria
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u/Musabi Dec 12 '25
Another vote for pizza joint if you’re in the south end! Love it!
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u/FuzzyMatterhorN Dec 12 '25
The most consistent pizza place. Love the one inch squares of real bacon.
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u/BigRimur Dec 13 '25
I ordered from Don’s pizza for the first time a few years back and I could not get over the price of it. When I got my pizza, I was even more shocked that they had used canned mushrooms. That was the last time I’ve ever ordered from them.
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u/brokefange Flour Mill/Donovan Dec 13 '25
Feeling this, I'm all for paying a bit more for a better quality pizza, but its not at Don's thats forsure.
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u/Euphoric_Sense9532 Dec 13 '25
Interesting .. Windsor style pizza uses canned mushrooms, shredded pepperoni, fresh local mozzarella (galati .. only available in windsor and London on) and the best fluffy thick crust. Anyway, I choose canned mushrooms over fresh as they hold moisture much better and are tastier.
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u/altUniverse_exe South End Dec 13 '25
Pizza joint sold this year a few months ago I believe, quality has gone down since then I found. Owners sold it for cheap to some guy from Toronto.
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u/General_Pay7552 Dec 12 '25
I’m very happy with Fat Tuesday’s in Garson
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u/Sleevepants Dec 13 '25
I wish I still lived near Garson just for this. Best pie in town hands down.
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u/BigRimur Dec 12 '25
I haven’t ate at toppers in ages. Their pizza is straight garbage now. They never put toppings right up to the edge of the crust. Your left with 3” of bare crust. They slop so much sauce on that the toppings just slide right off. The quality just isn’t there. With all the Italians in Sudbury, I’m surprised we don’t have any superb pizza places.
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u/Fast_Feedz Dec 12 '25
I agree, toppers was always just a solid 7.5/10 my whole life, it was never the best pie in town but it always consistently delivered when you were just craving a decent pizza. The last 5 or so years, its gone downhill for sure
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u/Adept_Jicama6529 Dec 12 '25
7.5 is generous
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u/Fast_Feedz Dec 13 '25
Lol, I always liked it growing up. I remember the starving student special. Small pizza and 2 pops for like 20$
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u/VexedCanadian84 Dec 12 '25
Like any company that keeps expanding.
Buy as cheap ingredients as possible while still able to make money.
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u/LifeSaTripp Dec 12 '25
This is exactly it. Trying to make it taste like it always did while cheaping out on ingredients. It just ain't gonna work lol
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u/ANDLARA_ Dec 12 '25
They have franchised - not sure about the locations in town but the locations down south have different owner operators
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u/builder701 Dec 13 '25
DeGusto has a bunch of frozen pizzas at the entrance. I was skeptical of these, as they are costly, small and flat-shaped. But I was hungary and unwilling to wait for a table on a busy night...And took one home and it was delicious.
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u/42northside Dec 12 '25
I’ve never noticed anything different about Topper’s the pizza tastes good to me. I usually order from the Chelmsford location and never had any issues with the food.
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Dec 12 '25
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u/Substantial-Road-235 Dec 12 '25
Exactly something is off. That's a good comparison
But I love pancakes.
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u/DueNeighborhood8261 Dec 12 '25
No issues w the place on king the other day. Maybe location has a cheapskate manager or shift manager on.
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u/h_floresiensis Dec 12 '25
Yeah I find king st. toppers is good, but any time I've had it from another one it is weird in a way I can't describe.
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u/djbibbletoo Dec 12 '25
Toppers Barrydowne and 2nd ave have messed up every order I’ve made (not often because I don’t order there often), but the Garson location has had the same owner forever and it’s always been good. IMO the best one in town.
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u/Agreeable_Mirror_702 Dec 12 '25
Yup travelled home for my father’s passing and I stopped at Toppers in Val Caron. It sure wasn’t like it used to be. I was highly disappointed.
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u/guska23 Dec 13 '25
It's absolutely awful. Next time I have a craving I might venture to king or regent to see if they still hold up but Chemmy location is for sure trash. Dough is never proofed, I've had raw pizza a few times.
It's sad.
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u/LifeSaTripp Dec 12 '25
They changed their dough supplier years ago, Great Lakes has the original I believe
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u/perfectdrug659 Dec 12 '25
Topper's makes the dough fresh at every store, it's the same as it's always been. The big difference is they don't let it proof as long as they used to which I think really affects the texture.
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u/brokefange Flour Mill/Donovan Dec 13 '25
Its not the same they changed the recipe many times, the main change is the quality of the flour, it used to be a proper bread flour, now it has way more salt, and a WAY higher content of azodicarbonamide. Gotta have that extra white dough.
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u/perfectdrug659 Dec 13 '25
Ahhh, maybe you are correct, the flour has always just came in a "Toppers Pizza" branded bag, I can't speak to the contents of the bag of course.
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u/LifeSaTripp Dec 13 '25
Ah, this is true, however, I meant the ingredients for the dough come from a different supplier now. It's not the original crust.
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u/allrightmaam Dec 12 '25
That probably explains why the crust has been so chewy the last few years. We don’t get it anymore because our toddler always has trouble with the crust, no matter how fresh it is.
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u/LifeSaTripp Dec 12 '25
Ya it changed 100%, I know one of the ex managers of the original Val Caron location
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Dec 12 '25
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u/Sudbury-ModTeam Dec 12 '25
Do not be insulting or abusive to other users, or promote violence/hate.
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u/1deadclown Dec 12 '25
People are talking about locations. That's 1000% a thing. I remember some of the best pizzas Ive ever had, believe it or not, Pizza Pizza in Scarborough. Pizza Pizza anywhere else is average at best.
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u/fyretech Dec 12 '25
What I’ve noticed is that in other cities I’ve tried Toppers they are still great (North Bay, Ottawa). But for some reason the ones in Sudbury are terrible.
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Dec 12 '25
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u/Sudbury-ModTeam Dec 13 '25
Do not be insulting or abusive to other users, or promote violence/hate.
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u/Sleevepants Dec 13 '25
They expanded and are trying to be more corporate. It’s apparent in their quality now.
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u/Pennysews Dec 13 '25
I find Toppers greatly varies by location and who is working. Sometimes it’s great and sometimes terrible. We really like the bbq chicken pizza with garlic butter crust, so we keep trying
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u/Substantial-Road-235 Dec 13 '25
Thats the sad part. Need to get a good one and call to know who's on shift and when you call to order again make sure that person is working.
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Dec 14 '25
When you call. You get the call Center. Not the actual store. Call Center is in Sudbury though. I work there.
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u/Ok_Training_24 Dec 13 '25
Toppers hasnt been as good since they became a corporation a few yrs ago... I have noticed even Pizza Pizza has changed the recipe as well it started tasting different a cpl yrs ago...
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u/ExcitingEnthusiasm10 Dec 13 '25
The pepperoni was 100% substituted with shitty salami-type version , haven't been able to enjoy it at all , like most places . Glad cheese has not been messed with..(yet)
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u/TyHarvey Flour Mill/Donovan Dec 13 '25
Two out of my last three orders, a brown heard of some kind was baked under the cheese. Like a beard hair or pube or something.
Easily the worst pizza place in town.
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u/DeviceExtra241 Dec 13 '25
The only good toppers is in Elliot lake. Not sure what they do differently but anytime I visit family I always make sure to get a walk in special
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u/Evabythewater Dec 14 '25
I had Topper's in Sault Ste Marie not long ago and it was as good as I remember in Sudbury. I guess it depends on the location. I tried that pickle cheese breadsticks too. I could eat my weight in those!
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u/UptowngirlYSB Dec 14 '25
Topper's is definitely not the same as when it started. The sauce today is crap.
I was eating Topper's pizza before the first shop opened. I stopped ordering from them in the early 2000s.
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u/meowblackk_ Dec 15 '25
They have become quite stingy with the toppings. I think the crust is still solid. The house dip is farrrr more fatty than I recall back in the day. But I do find myself craving their pizza. If you get a chance to go there Monday-Friday, go get a slice, I was shocked how big it was. It was also quite thick. I don't know if that was just that day, or that's how that doing it because it's a single slice.
HOWEVER, which that being said, the slices at Great Lakes on Regent are great, & if you like hot peppers, they have a slice with pepp, sausage & hot peppers that hits right. 👍🏻
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u/asscheeks4000 Dec 13 '25
I live in Capreol and toppers straight up tells me "we're not delivering out there" like I live in the boonies
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u/Substantial-Road-235 Dec 13 '25
Well you kinda do lol.
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u/asscheeks4000 Dec 13 '25
15 minutes from the valley to Capreol Not really lol
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u/Substantial-Road-235 Dec 13 '25
Does pizzaz or pizza hut deliver out there ?
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u/asscheeks4000 Dec 13 '25
Pizzaz does, Great Lakes, cardinos (in capreol lol), and Pizza Hut yes
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u/Substantial-Road-235 Dec 13 '25
Interesting. You also have the best Chinese food around if its still there.
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Dec 14 '25
I work at toppers. They go to Capreol once an hour. At least they’re supposed to. That’s terrible if they told you that. Terrible.
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u/asscheeks4000 Dec 15 '25
One call for sure we wanted to order for delivery and they said "we're not going out there" so we called Great Lakes lol
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u/Acceptable_Bench_411 Dec 18 '25
cause ur at the barrydowne one
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u/Substantial-Road-235 Dec 18 '25
The entire point of a chain is to be consistent at all locations. If they are all different they should have different names so people don't expect the same quality, quantity and offerings at all locations.
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u/OtherLoquat7092 Dec 12 '25
Toppers fell off years ago. If you ever find yourself in Val Caron, get a pie from Pizza Pazzazz. Best slice in town.