LOUISVILLE, Ky.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–If you think the best plays are being called in a huddle this time of year, well, you haven’t been inside a Papa John’s kitchen recently. That’s because the pizza brand — recently named best pizza for football fans by a leading consumer product-rating magazine — is shaking things up in 2007 with the introduction of new spicy, bold flavor Buffalo wings just in time for the playoffs and the Big Game in Miami Feb. 4.
“We blitzed our traditional wings recipe with some extra spice, kicking it up a notch for our customers whose taste buds can handle the bold taste,” said Papa John’s president, USA, Bill Van Epps. “The added variety on the Papa John’s menu is sure to score a touchdown among football fans this playoff season.”
And who better to assist Papa John’s in the wings introduction then Trey Wingo, cable television’s popular pro football studio host and a person whose surname suggests he knows a little something about wings, too.
“The new spicy flavor of Papa’s Wings adds to the adrenaline rush of playoff football,” said Wingo. “These wings have an edge-of-your-seat taste like no other. So sit down in your living room, turn on the game, and dig in to some pizza and wings from Papa John’s. What more could you ask for?”
The National Restaurant Association estimates that of all takeout and delivery restaurant orders for Super Bowl gatherings, 58 percent include pizza and 50 percent include wings. Annually, more than 400 million wings are sold throughout the United States.
To celebrate the introduction of its new spicy wings, and provide football fans with another opportunity to really get close to the action this year, Papa John’s is conducting the “Fling It & Wing It” Armchair Quarterback Challenge in select playoff markets across the country. At challenge locations, fans are invited to relax in a recliner, hold a serving of Papa’s Wings in their non-throwing hand, and throw a football as far as possible with the other. The fan who flings a football the farthest in each market will win free Papa John’s pizza and new, bold spicier flavor Papa’s Wings for a year.
Then, in the two markets with teams advancing to the Big Game in Miami, the fans with the ten longest throws will compete in a showdown for the chance to earn an all expenses paid trip to Miami to compete in the Papa John’s “Fling It & Wing It” Armchair Quarterback Challenge finale hosted Saturday, Feb. 3 by Wingo, and then attend the Big Game.
Fans can learn more about the “Fling It & Wing It” Armchair Quarterback Challenge – including event locations and times – by logging on to www.papajohns.com/wingit, where they’ll also find exclusive videos featuring Wingo’s thoughts on Papa John’s, football, and more.
Headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky, Papa John’s International, Inc. (NASDAQ: PZZA) is the world’s third largest pizza company. For seven years running, consumers have rated Papa John’s no. 1 in customer satisfaction among all national QSR chains in the highly regarded American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI). For more information about the company or to order pizza online, visit Papa John’s at www.papajohns.com.