Papa Johns Fights Back with Sandwiches

0:00It's April 1st, I'm Corey with The Story, and this is Durham News Today, your AI-powered local news. Papa John started small in a broom closet back in 1984, but blew up into a pizza giant with fresh dough and early tech moves. Now they're hitting hard times, planning to shut down about 300 underperforming stores in North America by 2027 to cut. Sales dipped 2% in North America last year, revenue stayed flat at $2.1 billion and net income crash from $84 million to $32 million. Families squeezed by the economy are ditching delivery for cheaper frozen pizzas at home. Consumers are pulling back big time, with over two-thirds cutting restaurant visits for affordability, dropping weekly spending from $100, $15 to $90. Files like Pizza Hut, M.O.D. Pizza, and others are closing spots too, battling higher costs in food, labor, and rent. To fight back, Papa John's just dropped oven toast to sandwiches on March 30th, like

1:03Philly Cheese Steak and Chicken Bacon Ranch on Chiavata With. Their garlic sauce priced around $8 for value meals. It's a play like McDonald's cheap deals that boosted their sales 6.8%. Domino's keeps winning with digital orders and low prices, grabbing market share, while Papa John's hopes these sandwiches stabilize sales amid profit. Pressures betting on indulgent eats to pull budget shoppers back in.