Papa Johns is the latest pizza chain to close hundreds of locations following a tough quarter as customers pull back on spending.
The company revealed during Thursday’s earnings call that approximately 300 underperforming restaurants in North America will close by the end of 2027, with about 200 of them shuttering this year.
The affected restaurants are those “not meeting brand expectations or lack a clear path to sustainable financial improvement, as well as locations where we can effectively transfer sales to a nearby restaurant,” said Ravi Thanawala, Papa Johns chief financial officer and president of the chain’s North America operations.
5.50 delivery fee.
A fee they pay for a tipped employee likely not making minimum wage.
You’re paying them a fee to pay someone else less than minimum wage to drive it to you. They’re forcing you to tip the company.
And you still have to tip the driver (which I don't mind). Also, where I live it was close to $10 5 years ago.
Fuck any companies that do this. Let alone for crappy PJ's pizza.
My guess is they don’t even pay a driver or liability. I assume they just contract to a dasher so if anything goes wrong, Papa just points his finger at Übermensch.
Look, buy what you want, I don't care for Papa John, but the thing is this: People are resistant to higher prices, and yet inflation has existed (nevermind that our wages haven't risen to keep up).
These delivery fees are to help make up for that inflation. People won't buy the higher price pizza, so you gotta get the money in somehow.
If you track pizza prices from 20-30 years ago, you're paying - generally speaking - around the same, give or take. And in fact, if you get the average "carryout" deal, you're paying less.
So it sucks, but that's why they play these games.