Fast Forward: Women of Fast Casual

How Suzy's Swirl will become a multimillion-dollar business while lifting up female leaders

Kathleen Wood, Sue Tierno and Marla Topliff are ready to show the foodservice industry what three passionate, hardworking women can do.

Sue Tierno, Kathleen Wood and Marla Topliff are striving to grow their business and help bring female leaders into the foodservice industry

May 28, 2019 by Cherryh Cansler — Editor, FastCasual.com

Retirement may be on the minds of most 68-year-olds, but Marla Topliff isn't like most people. The woman, known for helping to transform Rosati's Pizza over 20 years from a small family business into a thriving 170-unit chain, is ready for the next chapter of her life. And relaxing didn't make the cut. Instead, she is now president of Lake Bluff, Illinois-based Suzy's Swirl, joining Founder Kathleen Wood and her sister, Sue Tierno, on a two-tier mission to:

Transform Suzy's into a multimillion-dollar business.
Bring more female leaders into the restaurant industry.

"From my perspective I am hoping to serve as an inspiration to women everywhere that life at 68 is a beginning not an end," Topliff said in an interview with FastCasual. "My passion has always been planting small seeds and watching them grow into beautiful blossoming flowers — so be it with Suzy's Swirl."

Focusing on retail

Since Wood, who also owns Kathleen Wood Partners, and Tierno opened the shop seven years ago, Suzy's has served tens of thousands of gallons of frozen yogurt, but opening more locations isn't on the agenda. Instead, Topliff, Wood and Tierno are focused on a national retail rollout out of fro-yo and sorbets featuring adult beverage flavors, including Pink Champagne, Caramel Bourbon and Moscow Mule.

People of all ages may enjoy them, however, as they contain less than 2% alcohol. But this doesn't mean you can't add more when you get them home.

"We like to say Swirled with Spirit," Tierno said. "We see an amazing opportunity to grow this niche given the projected growth in craft cocktails and beers, driven in large part by millennial consumers. The future for combining high-quality sorbettos and frozen yogurts with craft adult beverages is truly a marriage made for swirling frozen happiness.

For Topliff, it just made good sense.

"I mean we love frozen yogurts and sorbets and love our wine, beer and cocktails," she said. "Putting them together was genius."

The strategy

Although Suzy's Swirl products are only found in a few specialty retailers in Chicago, their footprint won't stay small for long.

"We will also have a large online presence, so Suzy's will be available everywhere, making it the perfect accompaniment for catering and parties — how much fun will it be to have a 'Girlfriend Party' featuring Suzy's Crafted Cocktail Sorbettos and Yogurts," Topliff said.

Part of the plan is to build on the brand's strong local reputation while expanding nationally.

"That's not easily obtainable in a brick-and-mortar situation," Topliff said. "Going in [a retail] direction allows us the flexibility to grow faster."

"Our product is built to scale with these types of opportunities that were not available when we started," Wood said. "It truly allows us to stay true to our mission as we expand our base. We may not be the biggest — yet — however we are going to continue to be the boldest."

Going big and bold

Suzy's Swirl recently received certification from the Women's Business Enterprise National Council, a third-party administrator for the Small Business Administration. The accolade will be put to good use.

"For Suzy's, it is a terrific certification to accelerate our business development through a national resource, expand our business through key contacts in supplier diversity, and open our business to a national network of like-minded women business leaders, Wood said.

The process is not for the faint of heart, however.

"It is truly meant to shake out the committed from the 'sort of' committed, which is a very good thing," she said. "It gives so much creditability to the certification."

To Topliff, the certification means, "Of the Women, By the Women, For the Women."

"It sends the message that we not only can compete in an industry dominated by men, but we do and do it well," she said.

Helping other women

As the force behind a "Women Owned" company, the trio is anxious to accomplish its goals not only to bring the best product to market but also to act as an inspiration for woman entrepreneurs.

"We teach our young [female] leaders to find their voices and use them every day," Tierno said. "My two daughters, Jen and Julie, have been part of Suzy's, and it makes me so proud to see the leaders they have become with their voices.

"I am inspired when I see the impact with our team members as they find and use their voices. This is our next generation of leaders and we need to prepare them to speak up and take advantage of all of the possibilities, especially in foodservice."

Wood summed up her feelings by sharing a conversation she once had with a colleague, who told her, "Kathleen, keep doing what you are doing and keep increasing your visibility, because women are told to be strong and have strong voices, yet they can't be what they can't see."

Those words have stuck with her through the years.

"We truly want to show that at any stage of a career — 16 to 70 — we all can raise and strengthen our voices together," she said. "What I have found is that it's not just about having a seat at the table, it's about using your voice once you are there. This is still a very male-dominated industry with a lot of very strong, bright women and we need to all work together to be heard."

Topliff agreed, saying it's the right time for women to step forward, speak up and set the standard. "It is my personal dream to see more women step out of the shadows and into the light; this industry needs them," she said.

Tierno added, "We like to say, 'Raise your spoons. Raise your spirits. Raise your voices.' Not always in that order, however, with that intent."

Editor's note: This is the first installment of a monthly feature called Fast Forward: "Women of Fast Casual." If you would like to be considered for this feature, please send email to CherryhC@networldmediagroup.com

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About Cherryh Cansler

Cherryh Cansler is VP of Events for Networld Media Group and publisher of FastCasual.com. She has been covering the restaurant industry since 2012. Her byline has appeared in Forbes, The Kansas City Star and American Fitness magazine, among many others.

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