I love the new Tops Jr. Burger. (Credit: Devin Clegg)
You might have been wondering what the sign that read “Tops is Expecting a New Family Member 03/21” meant at Tops Bar-B-Q locations.
Customers came in and asked, “Which one of y’all are having a baby?” says Tops Operations LLC vice president Hunter Brown.
Of course, the obvious comeback was, “We don’t know what it’s going to be. It’s going to be a surprise,” Brown says.
But signs were different March 21st, Brown says, “Today the board changes and it says, ‘The Jr. Burger Has Arrived.”
Tops already sells a succulent hamburger. So, what is the Jr. Burger? “The Jr. Burger was something that was created as a result of a couple of needs for our guests,” says Tops CEO Randy Hough. “We felt that, number one, we wanted to provide an option for guests that were looking for a little less food, but still wanted to be able to satisfy their appetite.
“And, in addition, this really provided an avenue for those who were looking for great value without sacrificing what they love and expect from a great Tops cheeseburger. The Jr. Burger is still locally sourced, grilled fresh, same great flavor and taste, and ordered with all your favorite toppings. And we paired that with the Jr. Combo, which is a side of fries and a 16-ounce drink.”
The Jr. Burger is $3.99 with cheese. The combo is $6.49 with cheese. The Jr. Burger is a two and a half ounce patty vs. the original four ounce patty. But the Jr. Burger patty is “a little bit larger than your typical junior-size burger,” Hough says.
“But it’s the exact same blend the guests have loved for 70 years plus,” Brown adds.
This is a first for the Tops hamburger as far as he knows, Hough says. “First time we’ve made a little smaller version of what everyone has come to know and love but still has a great flavor and still the same profile, which we’re really happy about. And you don’t have to change your favorite toppings.”
“Our barbecue line has two options: the pork shoulder regular or jumbo. Brisket the same way.”
Ditto for their Fire-Braised Chicken Sandwich. “It was never an option for a burger.”
Like their larger cheeseburgers, the Jr. Burger is dressed with mayonnaise, pickles, diced onion, lettuce, and tomato. “But if you just put a little ketchup and mustard on it, it’s perfect for the kids,” Hough says. “You can introduce the newest generation — the younger folks — of Mid-Southerners to the best burger in Memphis.”
Tops Bar-B-Q's new Bar-B-Q Mac & Cheese with pork, brisket, and chicken options (Credit: Kyle Salzgeber)
Tops Bar-B-Q continues to stay on top of its game.
On Monday, October 16th, Tops will launch a new item — “Bar-B-Q Mac & Cheese” — company wide, says Hunter Brown with Tops LLC. “After we introduced mac and cheese, it was a no brainer we get Bar-B-Q Mac & Cheese back on the menu,” Brown says. “It’s an item Tops had about seven or eight years ago.”
But this one will be made with the new mac and cheese Tops launched last June, Brown says. “We’ve taken our new mac and cheese — a healthy portion of our macaroni and cheese — and we upgraded our Bar-B-Q Mac & Cheese with an option of pork, chicken, or brisket. Enhanced with our Memphis sweet sauce. And then we add some of our famous dry rub and blend it all together.”
As Brown said in an earlier interview, their new mac and cheese is made with “fresh whole milk, tender macaroni, and real cheese (no powder stuff here).”
The new item isn’t a side item because of the size of the portions. “It’s certainly a meal,” says Brown, adding that “it’s a really good option for somebody eating on the go because it’s intended for folks to be able to eat it right out of the drive through.”
Tops Bar-B-Q (Credit: Michael Donahue)
Another plus: kids love it, he says.
Tops tested Bar-B-Q Mac & Cheese at their newest location, which is in Cordova, Brown says. And it was a hit. “Absolutely phenomenal. The guests love it.”
The restaurant uses its Fire-Braised Chicken, which Tops launched in November, 2022, on the new item. “Fire-Braised Chicken made it to a couple of things since its inception. You can substitute chicken on our famous barbecue nachos. It’s a big hit.”
I tried the Bar-B-Q Mac & Cheese with all three proteins. And they’re great. “Comfort food” was the first thing that came to mind. This definitely is a meal. And I would add Tops banana pudding, which was introduced not long ago, to my order.
Tops Bar-B-Q (Credit: Michael Donahue)
Brown says Tops only introduces new they believe in, never just for the sake of doing something new. “We want to really enhance the customer’s experience while highlighting some of the items that have made us successful over 70 years.”
Tops Bar-B-Q now has 17 locations. And, Brown says, “Number 18 is coming soon.” Stay tuned.
Banana pudding is the newest addition to the menu at Tops Bar-B-Que. (Photo: Michael Donahue)
What means “South” as much as barbecue?
Banana pudding.
That’s why Tops Bar-B-Que is debuting its banana pudding Tuesday, August 29th, at all 17 of its locations. That includes the newest store, which will open September 8th at 7960 Cordova Road at Germantown Parkway.
“We’re a place in the South and it’s a requirement to have a banana pudding,” says Hunter Brown with Tops Operations LLC. “We wanted another dessert option outside of our apple turnover. It just makes a lot of sense to add this to our repertoire.”
While he was talking, Brown was driving to Tops locations to watch employees make the pudding. He wants to “make sure everybody is calibrated and doing it the right way.”
They’ve never sold a banana pudding before, even though it’s a natural at barbecue cookouts across the South.
As for creating the banana pudding, Brown says the Tops banana pudding “definitely was designed for the South. It had to have real bananas in the ingredients.”
And, he adds, “We could have gone with a banana puree instead of using real bananas. I’m sure people do. It’s a less expensive way to get a banana pudding out there. We didn’t take any short cuts out there. And we’re real proud.”
In addition to real bananas, the pudding has the traditional vanilla wafers. “It had to have wafers. And then it has to be easy for QSR. It needs to come in containers so you can eat it through a drive-through-window.”
You might think you’re tasting whipped cream in it, but their banana pudding doesn’t have any in it, Brown says. “It’s very fluffy on its own.”
Like any new product, they “do a lot of testing” before it shows up at the Tops locations. “We try all different kinds and types of ways to do it. The main objective is that it’s good for the guests. Right? So, that’s got to be one of the boxes checked.
“But another box that has to be checked is, it’s not going to get in the way of important things we do like pork and burgers. It’s got to be operationally fitting for us as well. Not only do guests get what they deserve with a new product, but they get what they expect from all of our great products.”
For more than two years, Brown and Tops CEO Randy Hough talked about adding banana pudding to the menu. “And then we prioritized things that we need. A smoked barbecue bologna sandwich was number one on our list.”
This was followed by a chicken option for their customers. Tops Fire Braised Chicken was born.
They then looked at their sides and came up with their macaroni and cheese.
And, like their mac and cheese, the banana pudding can be added to the Tops combo for $1 more.
Tops banana pudding is here to stay. “It’s a Southern thing. Absolutely.”
The Southern Smokehouse Burger now at Tops Bar-B-Q (Credit; Isis Pinkston)
Tops Bar-B-Q is celebrating summer with two new items and a new location.
Meet the Southern Smokehouse Burger, which consists of a “cheeseburger, grilled onions, thick cut bacon, and a sweet Southern glaze,” says Hunter Brown with Tops Operations LLC.
And, if your mouth isn’t already watering, that glaze is a “smoky molasses-based glaze.”
Many people quickly answer “Tops” when asked to name their favorite hamburger. The dish, which they’ve sold for decades, is so popular, the company is adding “& Burgers” to their sign along with “Bar-B-Q.”
“We’ve been the top hamburger in Memphis for 60 years,” Brown says. “So, as popular as it was, we wanted to focus on a limited-time offer of celebrating the burger.”
The Southern Smokehouse Burger will be available “through the bulk of the summer,” Brown says.
As to maybe adding it to the menu one day, Brown says “time will tell.” They also offered their Barbecued Bologna and Fire-Braised Chicken as limited time offers. But, he says, “The feedback was so overwhelming and positive on both of those items, we had no choice but to make them permanent fixtures on our menu.”
A limited time offer is a chance for Tops customers to get “a great extra opportunity on a meal that’s available only a certain amount of time at a good value, as well.”
The Southern Smokehouse Burger is $5.99.
Tops Bar-B-Q (Credit: Michael Donahue)
Tops recently introduced the Southern Smokehouse Burger in a soft launch. It’s now available at all locations, including its upcoming new location. A new Tops will open in about 30 days near Cordova Road and North Germantown Parkway. It will be on an outparcel location in the parking lot of the University of Memphis Kemmons Wilson Culinary Institute and Incredible Pizza.
As for that other new Tops item, customers can now get macaroni and cheese as a side. “A brand new addition to our combos,” Brown says.
According to Tops, their mac and cheese is made with “fresh whole milk, tender macaroni, and real cheese (no powder stuff here).”
And, Brown adds, “Mac and cheese is definitely here to stay.”
Mac & Cheese at Tops Bar-B-Q (Credit: Michael Donahue)
Tops Bar-B-Q to open in Cordova in June (Credit: Dylan Dunn)
Tops Bar-B-Q is on a roll. Or maybe a “bun” would be more accurate. The Memphis-based company is opening its 18th location in June.
“We’re building in Cordova,” says Hunter Brown with Tops Operations LLC.
The new restaurant will be at Germantown Parkway and Cordova Road. The company is building on one acre of the parking lot of Memphis’s Incredible Pizza Company at 1245 North Germantown Parkway, Suite 104.
Tops opened its 17th location — 4199 Hacks Cross Road — on February 14th.
They’ve wanted a location in Cordova as much as they want locations in Collierville, Arlington, and other places, Brown says. “This just came first.”
They want to open new restaurants in areas where customers who were used to having a Tops Bar-B-Q in their neighborhood are moving, Brown says. For example, if a customer grew up with the Tops in Frayser and now lives in Cordova, they “deserve to have their own.”
The original growth spurt was in the late ’60s and early ’70s when Tops opened restaurants in quick succession on Thomas Street, Summer Avenue at National Street, Lamar Avenue, Union Avenue, and Frayser Boulevard.
Tops continued to open restaurants over the next 30 years, but began its current growth spurt in 2021 with its restaurant at 6745 Stage Road in Bartlett and then Hacks Cross Road. “The trajectory is adding up to two locations a year until we feel like we have fulfilled the needs of Memphis and the surrounding areas.”
They’re not stopping to take a breath after Cordova. “When we open Cordova, we plan on breaking ground somewhere else.”
Tops Bar-B-Q opened in 1952 in Memphis. “Rhodes at Getwell is the oldest store open. The first store doesn’t exist anymore. It was about two miles north of where our Sycamore View and Macon store is now.”
As for the upcoming Cordova location, Brown says, “There will be definite features to the new Tops, which will face Cordova Road, including a “a dual drive-through to enhance speed of service.”And, he says, “We’ll open the restaurant with breakfast to meet the needs of the surrounding area and those commuting to work.”
Breakfast is currently available at nine Tops restaurants. “It’s still evolving. But the plan is to open new restaurants with breakfast.”
Brown says the restaurant is a long-time favorite. “Memphis as a community is faithful. You see it when the Grizzlies are winning. When the Tigers are hot. They support Memphis things.
“The reality is Memphis supports Memphis. And they know that although we are growing and big, we’re still a hometown locally owned company that’s been in their family and generations for many years. And every day when I’m inside a Tops whether it’s Frayser Boulevard or Summer National, someone is coming up to me with a story about how they and their family and friends came in wherever after school and ate.
“There’s so much nostalgia. And merely from just being around so long, it builds camaraderie. That doesn’t exist for national brands.”
Tops Bar-B-Q now offering breakfast sandwiches and a waffle (Credit: Hunter Brown)
You might have had breakfast at Tops Bar-B-Q. That is, if you were eating a barbecue sandwich or a hamburger after you got out of bed in the morning. Or afternoon. Or night.
But you’ve never been able to order a breakfast breakfast — as in brisket, egg, and cheese — at Tops. Until now.
“Today is the day,” says Tops Bar-B-Q vice president Hunter Brown.
Beginning Sept. 27th, Tops Bar-B-Q is offering a breakfast menu between 6:30 to 10:30 a.m. at its 1286 Union location, Brown says.
“For the last eight weeks, we’ve been in Marion, Arkansas, and Southaven, Mississippi, testing breakfast,” he says.
And, he adds, “When you do something this big, you don’t want to confuse the masses in your customer base.”
Thirteen of their 16 locations are in the Memphis, Bartlett, and Millington area. They will still offer breakfast in Marion and Southaven.
“We’ve got a very unique menu selection — something we think that sets us apart from the rest of the companies doing breakfast, particularly the quick-service restaurants.
“Our menu is based primarily around breakfast sandwiches. We use a buttered toasted bun that fits the protein — meat, egg, and cheese — perfectly. It just melts together. It’s so fantastic.”
And, he says, “We brought in a bigger, better bacon for this.”
They currently use bacon on their cheeseburger, but, Tops wanted a bacon that matches their ground beef, which is delivered daily from Charlie’s Meat Market. “We wanted to match that quality in bacon. And I’m very confident we have.”
Of course, Tops isn’t going to offer any run-of-the mill breakfast sandwiches. “We’ve got some unique items.”
These include the “Smoked Breakfast Bologna,” which is bologna, egg, and cheese; “Brisket and Cream Cheese,” which is a fried egg, melted cheese and Tops’ new Sweet and Saucy barbecue sauce; and “Breakfast BLT,” a fried egg added to the traditional BLT (bacon, lettuce, and tomato).
“And then, of course, Tops can’t roll out any menu without highlighting our world famous cheeseburger,” Hunter says.
Their “Rise and Shine Burger” adds “a fried egg and melted cheese to our already famous cheeseburger.”
What about barbecue, you ask? Tops is offering the “Original Que & Egg Sandwich” — a fried egg, pulled chopped pork, queso, and hot barbecue sauce sandwich. “All melted together on a buttery toasted bun.”
They also offer traditional sandwiches, including “Bacon, Egg & Cheese Sandwich,” “Sausage Egg and Cheese,” and, if you don’t want any meat at all, the “Egg & Cheese Sandwich.”
Heck, Tops also is offering a “Pearl Sugar Waffle” on its breakfast menu. “It’s infused with maple syrup and pearl sugar. It’s the only waffle I’ve ever had that didn’t need anything on the side like syrup or butter.”
And, he adds, “It’s drive-through friendly.” You don’t have to worry about trying to dip it into syrup while you’re trying to drive.
As for extending the breakfast to other Tops locations, Brown says, “Right now it’s still under discussion.”
The Union location was perfect, he says. “Being in the hospital district, being able to feed third shifters coming off and first shifters coming on, it’s something we thought would be great.”
Breakfast ends at 10:30 a.m., but Tops will continue to offer its full menu all day. “We have a lot of third shifters getting off at 6:30, 7 in the morning. It’s their end of day. We’re selling ribs, brisket sandwiches, full menu at 6:30 in the morning. The full menu extends through the rest of the day.”
Michael Donahue tries a Smoked BBQ Bologna sandwich at Tops Bar-B-Q. (Credit: Morgan Leslie)
I was having lunch with Elvis at a Tops Bar-B-Q on Summer Avenue when I noticed a sign announcing the restaurant’s new “Smoked BBQ Bologna.”
First of all, I wasn’t actually eating with Elvis, of course. I was dining at a booth beneath a photo of the King, who was wearing a shiny (silk?) jacket, black pants, loafers, and light-colored socks while kneeling in front of a pink Cadillac. The car actually had the letters “TCB,” which look like chrome, on the front. The license plate sign says “1957.”
When I eat at Tops, I think of growing up in the 1950s and smelling barbecue cooking in the pit when my family drove by a Tops location.
Over the years, Tops, which opened in 1952, has served its fantastic barbecue with sauce and slaw and its incredibly-good hamburgers. I remember when they began selling brisket sandwiches and ribs 17 years ago. They began selling turkey burgers, one of my all-time favorite fast food items, 10 years ago. I have it dressed like the hamburger with mayonnaise, ketchup, and mustard.
But a new food item at Tops is rare. Smoked BBQ Bologna is the first new Tops item in 10 years.
I talked to Tops Operations LLC vice-president Hunter Brown and CEO Randy Hough about the new Smoked BBQ Bologna sandwich, which launched in April — just in time for Tops’ 70th birthday..
Smoked BBQ Bologna Sandwich at Tops Bar-B-Que (Credit: Michael Donahue)
A barbecue bologna sandwich is “a Memphis staple,” Brown says. So, they decided Tops should have one. “We saw the need from our guests. And we heard their voice. When you hear so many guests give their thoughts and ask, ‘Why don’t you have something,’ you’ve got to pay attention. That’s why Tops has been successful for 70 years.”
“New items have been few and far between here at Tops,” Hough says. And, he adds, “We’ve been hesitant to add new things to our menu line.”
Their “focus is on barbecue and hamburgers” and they want to “stay true” to those items.
Hunter Brown and Randy Hough. (Credit: Lynn Hantz)
They cook their barbecue over a direct fire pit. “A lot of barbecue companies don’t do that. They use smokers instead.”
Tops also uses charcoal and hickory wood. “Everything you think about in your backyard with your charcoal grill.”
And, he says, “It takes a lot more dedication than to put it in the smoker, set the timer, and walk away.
“We still use a smaller smoker for other items, but not for our core barbecue. It’s cooked in our open fire pit. It takes time and skill to do that.”
They always wanted to do barbecue bologna, Brown says. “We decided to go ahead and test it with some people in the area. Some of our guests.”
They invited a focus group of their customers to try the barbecue bologna last February. People said, “Wow. This is one of the best we’ve had in the city.”
“We score it and season it with our rib rub and then we smoke it. After smoking it, we grill each one to order.”
They then put it on a bun and add their “famous slaw and our signature Tops barbecue sauce.”
They introduced the Smoked BBQ Bologna at their Southaven location. “It was a resounding success across the board.”
Tops’ Olive Branch, Mississippi location announced the new sandwich. (Credit: Michael Donahue)
I visited Tops the next day and tried a Smoked BBQ Bologna sandwich. It’s delicious.
I told Brown and Hough about smelling the barbecue when I drive past Tops. “It’s kind of like a billboard for us,” Brown says. “Cooking daily to have that smoke coming out. To have that rolling smoke. Even if you’re not on your way to Tops, it just lures you in.”
The aroma, which emanates from the chimney tops, “just gets you hungry,” Hough says. And, he adds, “You’re cooking them over an open fire with hickory wood and charcoal. And you’re going to get that kind of smell. Just like you would in the backyard.”
As for upcoming new items, Brown says, “We do have some thoughts.” But they don’t want to “take away from the burger and pork sandwiches.”
They’ve tried some items, which they tested internally or at other locations, that never made it out, Hough says. For example, they had a fried pie, made by a small business in Arkansas. But the pies caused operational issues.
Tops still carries its popular apple turnovers. “That’s a staple. Been with us for a long time. That is a guest favorite.”
Getting back to that guy named Elvis, Brown says the King was a customer at the Tops on Union. “We still today have the Elvis room in there.”
This photo of Elvis hangs in several Tops locations. (Courtesy Tops Bar-B-Q)
Elvis also ate at “Summer and National and Thomas as well, but Union was where he spent most of his time.”
George Montague, who was Tops general manager for 45 years, is a “big fan of Elvis.”
While they’ve got some photos of Elvis at Tops, none picture him holding a barbecue or hamburger, Brown says. “Every time I see him, he’s got a soda in his hand.” But he knows Elvis ate the food at Tops, too.
The late J. W. Lawson was founder and the late George Messick was the second generation owner of Tops, which now has 16 locations, and continues to grow.
All locations sell the new Smoked BBQ Bologna sandwich.
Says Brown: “It was originally intended to be a limited time offer, but the city of Memphis has voted with their feedback — and their stomachs. Smoked BBQ Bologna is here to stay.”
