Papa John's North American Development Strategy Looks Likely to Succeed Despite Stout Competition

Papa John's International sits in an interesting niche in the $93 billion global pizza quick-service restaurant market (Euromonitor), with its "better ingredients, better pizza" mantra reflecting a commitment to simpler products that are purportedly higher quality than those of its largest category peers, Domino's and Pizza Hut. The firm's positioning looks particularly favorable amid challenging inflation, with Papa John's better equipped to pass along price increases to consumers than competitors like Domino's that compete more aggressively along the lines of value. Strategically, Papa John's is focused on five pillars: people, brand, product, technology, and unit economics, with prudent menu development, effective utilization of technology, and much stronger four-wall profitability than precoronavirus leaving the firm on solid competitive footing.