Papa John’s Is Closing Hundreds of Stores Across the U.S.

Papa John’s is closing hundreds of stores across the U.S., the pizza chain announced during a recent earnings call.

On February 26, the company announced that it would shutter about 300 underperforming storefronts in North America by 2027, CNN reported. Roughly 200 of these stores will close by the end of 2026.

The closing Papa John’s restaurants are ones “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,” Ravi Thanawala, the brand’s chief financial officer and president of its North America operations.

Papa John’s hasn’t revealed which stores are closing out of its 3,500 locations, as of writing.

In addition to the hundreds of store closures, Papa John’s slashed roughly 7% of its corporate employees. These business decisions came on the heels of a 5.4% decline in same-store sales in the fourth quarter in North America. Papa John’s CEO Todd Penegor said this “reflected a weak consumer backdrop and elevated promotional environment.”

On Reddit, folks shared mixed reactions to the news of Papa John’s restaurant closures, with one user lamenting, “Damn, they’ve been my go-to since college.”

Another Redditor shared, “Papa John’s underrated. One of the better chain pizzas for price and quality.”

Someone else pointed out, “They are less than mid and overpriced… Little Caeser’s and sometimes Pizza Hut are better.”

A different person wrote, “Quality of pizza — what made them great- stopped after previous founder left. This is not a surprise to anyone.”

Meanwhile, yet another Reddit user insisted, “Time to bring Papa back. Is it time for the reckoning yet?”

In recent years, Papa John’s has faced many ups and downs. Many customers likely remember the founder and former CEO, John Schnatter, who once starred in many of the pizza brand’s commercials. In 2018, he resigned as chairman just months after stepping down as CEO after using a racial slur during a conference call. Schnatter also faced backlash when he criticized NFL players taking a knee during the national anthem.

Today, Schnatter is a regular guest on podcasts, where he continues to tell his side of the story when it comes to Papa John’s.