Things are looking up for the once-beleaguered Papa Johns, as North American same-store sales finally rebounded in the second quarter of 2025. The brand registered comp growth of 1%—the first positive growth results for the chain since the fourth quarter of 2023.
CEO Todd Penegor said the improvement was driven largely by a renewed focus on the basics—above all, selling more pizza.
In Q1 2025, Papa Johns’ North American same-store sales were down 3% year over year, while Q4 2024 and Q3 2024 saw declines of 4% and 6% respectively.
Related: Let’s Solve Your Pizzeria’s Biggest Problems Together at PMQ’s Pizza Power Forum Sept. 2-4 in Atlanta
“Papa Johns’ second quarter results exceeded our expectations and are evidence that our strategy is working,” Penegor said in a press release. “We returned to comparable sales growth in North America and achieved strong sales growth internationally, driven by transaction gains as we win more customer visits with a focus on our core pizza business.”
Just five years ago, Papa Johns was trumpeting non-pizza menu innovations like its Papadia flatbread sandwiches. More recently it has been touting crust-centric pies like the Cheddar Crust, introduced in June, and the brand-new Garlic 5-Cheese Crust.
“We are focused on improving our core product proposition and premium menu innovation throughout our restaurants,” Penegor told Papa Johns’ investors in a recent earnings call. “We’re building a menu to not only capture the hearts and stomachs of customers but also generate margins that improve profitability for our franchisees. Our consumer research consistently shows that exciting menu innovations bring in new customers.”
“Our Cheddar Crust innovation, combined with the addition of a fan favorite—[the] Shaq-a-Roni pizza—is a long-term menu item,” Penegor said. He added that a “continued strong value message with our popular $6.99 Papa Pairings delivered an increase in both the average number of pies per order and overall pizza sales versus last year.”
Altogether, the number of pizzas ordered in Q2 rose by 6%, he noted, “demonstrating both the power of our deep focus on our core product as well as value.”
Penegor believes that ongoing tweaks to oven calibration at all Papa Johns stores will ensure better consistency of product system-wide. “Our ovens are the single most important piece of equipment in our restaurants,” he told investors. “And by regulating bake time and temperatures, we’re able to improve our ability to deliver a consistent pizza with each and every order.”
He added, “Our oven calibrations were kicked off in the first quarter, and we’re already seeing benefits with improvements in our product quality and taste scores. This work also opens a variety of new product innovations and layers across our menu, including new crusts and formats.”
Meanwhile, Papa Johns has a new ordering app in the works. It’s “designed to improve navigation, reduce clicks to purchase, and improve order tracking and targeted communication,” Penegor said.
Not surprisingly, AI will play an increased role in enhancing the customer’s ordering experience. The technology will help pinpoint what repeat customers are hungry for, generating recommendations and sharing relevant offers and messaging based on learned customer preferences.
“We are also working to utilize voice AI solutions to drive customer orders and deliver operational efficiency,” Penegor said.
Seventy percent of Papa Johns’ sales come through digital channels, Penegor observed. “We believe that building a more robust technology infrastructure will lead to higher revenue, improved operational effectiveness, and better returns on our marketing investments.”
Membership in the Papa Rewards loyalty program continues to rise as well after the brand made changes last year that allow customers to unlock rewards faster. Papa Johns has added 2,700,000 new loyalty accounts since the program was revamped and relaunched in November.
Penegor has high hopes for the Garlic 5-Cheese Crust pizza that debuted this week, calling it a “nice proposition” at $11.99. Additionally, he alluded to future menu items, such as a “shareable, dippable pizza that will be coming later this year” and the Grand Papa pie that currently being tested. The latter will be Papa John’s “largest pizza ever,” he said.
