Food & Beverage

Pan pizza returns to Papa Johns; brand says they got it right this time

After years of development, Papa Johns is relaunching its pan pizza with a refined recipe featuring a garlic-Parmesan crust and a six-cheese blend, supported by a "drop culture"-inspired marketing campaign and a $11.99 price point.

Photo: Papa Johns

January 28, 2026 by Mandy Wolf Detwiler — Editor, Networld Media Group

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Pan pizza hasn't been on the Papa Johns menu in years, but it returns tomorrow with a better recipe, new pans and plenty of research to get it right, according to company officials who held a press conference Monday.

"We are Papa Johns and we know that pizza is the best food on planet earth and we've always been about quality and creating the best pizza in the category. We're here for the love of pizza, for now and forever and pan pizza is an amazing step on that journey," said Jenna Bromberg, chief marketing officer for Papa Johns.

Creating a masterpiece

Pan pizza last launched in 2016, but this time around the brand worked on the recipe for years.

The result is a pan pizza that has a fluffy, thick crust with an airy texture. It has Parmesan cheese and Papa Johns Special Garlic Sauce baked directly into the bottom of the pan for a golden, caramelized finish and crispy savory crunch.

The pizza features six cheeses: Mozzarella; Provolone, Fontina, Asiago, Parmesan and Romano. It's built to hold up to seven edge-to-edge toppings, and it has a final dusting of Italian seasoning. And there's no artificial colors or flavors.

Mark Gabrovic, vice president of culinary at Papa Johns, said extensive testing with consumers and team members proved at the pizza wasn't just good — it was a force to be reckoned with.

"The voice of the consumer reigned supreme, but there were so many other people that were involved in this, not to mention our cross-functional partners in supply chain, quality assurance (and) operations," Gabrovic said.

He added texture took center stage. The pizza is priced at $11.99, marking for an accessible price point.

"I think everybody's experienced the deliciousness of like a Parmesan crust, a Parmesan crisp that you might put on a salad, but what this does in our pan, that butter and that Parmesan-Romano, it really gives you some amazing texture," Gabrovic said. "We then drizzle garlic sauce around the edge, and we go in with a different cheese on the edge because what our customers were telling us here is they want crisp, but they also wanted some texture."

Papa Johns has been working on its pan pizza since they last took it off the menu some seven or eight years ago, Bromberg said. It took a long time to get it right, she said, as it's difficult to develop a pan pizza with flavor without using artificial colors or flavors.

"There was a lot of work done to ensure we were hitting those flavor notes and exceeding expectations while staying true to what makes a Papa John's pizza a Papa John's pizza," Bromberg added.

She described ovens as the most important piece of equipment in every one of Papa Johns' restaurants, and that the brand had to ensure the ovens were set up to bake the pan pizza consistently.

"We've got six different cheeses on here, which gives you a really great flavor profile and allows us to have cheese not only on the top of the pizza but that beautiful cheese crown that you see around it and that crispy Parmesan crust," Bromberg said.

Gabrovic said the key metric his team used in the kitchen was "would you be proud if your family opened this product at home? And if not, it's not ready yet."

The marketing strategy

Shivram Vaideeswaran, VP of marketing, said the marketing plan for the new pan pizza is called "Papa's Pan Drop" and is modeled around drop culture where brands release new streetwear or tech.

"Our goal is to think about all of the audiences that we want to reach with this product and engage with them in really fun ways across all of the channels," Vaideeswaran said.

The 360-degree campaign includes TV spots, online advertisements, 15-second "feature films" and social media posts.

"The creative really reflects the premium nature of this product, with beautiful food photography. We've got all-new packaging in our gorgeous brand green that's going to be coming to life," Vaideeswaran added. "We're going to make sure to highlight the craveability of this product, the indulgence, the decadence, as well as really leaning in on why this is so differentiated and so unique in the category."

Bromberg said value has been at the center of consumers' decision making.

"It's important to remember value's so much more than just price, right? It's what they get for what they pay," she said.

Said Gabrovic: "There was a lot of love and care and attention put into this product from the corporate side and now we get a chance to let our amazing team members hand-craft it at the stores across our country to deliver into the homes of our amazing guests and that's really a fun, a fun process."

About Mandy Wolf Detwiler

Mandy Wolf Detwiler is the managing editor at Networld Media Group and the site editor for PizzaMarketplace.com and QSRweb.com. She has more than 20 years’ experience covering food, people and places.

An award-winning print journalist, Mandy brings more than 20 years’ experience to Networld Media Group. She has spent nearly two decades covering the pizza industry, from independent pizzerias to multi-unit chains and every size business in between. Mandy has been featured on the Food Network and has won numerous awards for her coverage of the restaurant industry. She has an insatiable appetite for learning, and can tell you where to find the best slices in the country after spending 15 years traveling and eating pizza for a living.

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