The new stuffed crust pizza will be available exclusively to members of Papa John’s customer rewards program starting Monday. Non-members can order it from December 28th.
The popularity of pizza has reached new heights in 2020 as people work from home during the day and eat out less at night due to the pandemic. That has prompted competing pizza chains to get creative with their menus as they compete for customers.
Companies love Papa Johns (PZZA), Domino’s and Pizza Hut launched recruitments and marketing blitzes this year. Bakery-café chain Panera Bread even threw in its hat in October.
Pizza Hut was the first major pizza chain to add cheese-filled crust to its menu in 1995, setting sales records that year, according to the company.
Stuffed crust remains a fan favorite, according to Papa John’s director of culinary innovation Tom Smith.
“We have always been inspired by our fans,” Smith said in a statement. “Stuffed crust aficionados are passionate pizza fans, and that is something our fans keep asking for.”
Papa John’s third-quarter sales in October were 17% higher than the previous year, and inventory is up about 38% since January. The company has fought hard to recover from the scandals involving founder and former chairman John Schnatter, who stepped down as chairman in 2018 after Forbes reported that he had used a racist insult during a conference call of the company.