Papa Johns has become one of the go-to restaurants for pizza delivery over the last number of years, and that is due to the hard work of the Papa Johns CEO Rob Lynch, When he took over in 2019, the company was struggling reputationally and financially. It did not take long for Lynch to turn things around by making various changes.
Changes In Management
The new Papa Johns CEO begin with making changes to upper management. He got rid of most of the top officers and replaced them with a new team. This change improved company moral and brought a fresh set of eyes to resolve the company’s various issues.
From Arby’s to Papa Johns
Lynch was at Arby’s prior to moving over to Papa Johns, where he was the president of the company. He started as chief marketing officer in 2013, and he was the creator and founder of Arby’s famous slogan “we have the meats.” His leadership skills helped increase the company’s profits. Prior to Arby’s, he had leadership experience at Proctor & Gamble, HJ Heinz Company, and Taco Bell.
Focus on the Menu
One of the reasons why he made Papa Johns so successful was his menu innovation. He strived to create new menu items using the same high-quality ingredients. To help boost marketing efforts, Lynch brought on Shaquille O’Neal as brand ambassador. There is even a pizza named after him, the Shaq-A-Roni, that is periodically available as a limited time only feature.
One of the changes he made was to add some pizazz to the crust options. A popular one is the stuffed crust, which has cheese baked into the edge. There is also a pepperoni stuffed crust. Other options include thin, New York style, and gluten free. There is now even a crustless pizza option, known as a Papa Bowl.
Another addition to the menu inspired by Lynch is the Papadia. This is a handheld flatbread sandwich filled with combinations such as grilled buffalo chicken, Philly cheesesteak, and meatball pepperoni. Additional menu items that have debuted since Lynch took over include:
- Papa Bites
- Boneless wings
- Green chile and bacon cheesesticks
In addition to boneless wings, the chefs continually come up with new flavors for both the traditional and boneless varieties. Along with buffalo and BBQ, there is now hot lemon pepper, garlic parmesan, and honey chipotle flavors.
Technology Investment
Papa Johns was extremely successful in 2020 and during the pandemic, and a big reason for this is that Lynch knew the importance of technology and invested wisely in the digital platform. The ease of ordering online and in the mobile app helped increase sales.
There is even now an order ahead option. To do so, go to your neighborhood Papa Johns website and scroll to the bottom of the home page to find “ordering.” Click on that and go to “future ordering,” and you can place your order and name the delivery time up to three days in advance.
Lynch continues to make the necessary changes and innovations to grow the company.
