BILLINGS — Billings eatery Topz Sandwich Company held a grand opening celebration Tuesday for its second location at 4007 Ave. B-- and they gave back to local nonprofits.
Topz owner Tucker Veltkamp said Tuesday he's been planning the new shop, known as Topz 2, for a few years.
“We found some pretty great success in March 2017, and it started taking off," Veltkamp said. "In October 2017, I had already started planning another store. Over the last two or three years, I've just been planning and scouting locations.”
Topz 2 features something new for the company: a drive thru to pick up sandwiches on the go.
“It’s a new challenge for us, but it also adds a ton of value for our customers, which is always the top priority on my mind,” Veltkamp said.
For the grand opening, Veltkamp said from 4 - 8 p.m., 20 percent of Topz revenue will be donated to the Rimrock Foundation, a local rehabilitation center.
After Tuesday, Veltkamp said the Topz was able to give $300 to the Rimrock Foundation.
And on Thursday, Topz will donate 20 percent of its revenue to the Billings Rotary Club- a service organization involved in numerous volunteer projects throughout the community.
Veltkamp said it's important to him to give back to the community that made his business successful.
"We always try to give back to the community as much as we can because we know we're only here because of the community," Veltkamp said. "They're a huge reason why this brand has taken off and been successful."
Veltkamp said he's bringing back a customer favorite: the chicken salad sandwich. Another sandwich will be added to the menu called Tucker's Turkey.
Veltkamp said the new location will start making deliveries on Sunday. Currently all delivery calls are being routed to the shop on 24th Street West.
Topz employs 25 people across two locations, but Veltkamp said the business's start in 2015 wasn't always easy.
“It was a grind getting it started," Veltkamp said. "But I think that we’re hitting our niche and we’re going to take off here shortly into a small regional brand or definitely at least grow across the city over the next two to three years.”
Veltkamp hopes his success will inspire other young entrepreneurs in the Billings community to make a difference.
“I love doing what I’m doing because I feel like it inspires the youth, you know, to go out there, create and do something," Veltkamp said. "So if there’s one message I could pass on to the youth is just some inspiration and get other people out doing things that are impacting our community."
