Food & Beverage

Papa Johns, PopUp Bagels team up for limited-time schmear drop

August 26, 2026

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Papa Johns and PopUp Bagels are teaming up to launch a pair of limited-time bagel schmears inspired by the pizza chain's signature pepperoncini and Special Garlic Sauce, according to a press release.

The collaboration features a two-part release over a three-week period. The Pepperoncini Schmear, a tangy cream cheese mix with a subtle heat, will be available starting Aug. 27. The Special Garlic Sauce Butter, capturing the savory, garlicky flavor of the chain's famous dipping sauce, follows with a Sept. 3 release.

"Few menu items inspire the kind of loyalty and love that our Special Garlic Sauce and signature pepperoncini do," Shivram Vaideeswaran, senior vice president of brand marketing at Papa Johns, said in the release. "For years, fans have debated the best way to eat their pepperoncini, stocked up on extra garlic sauce and turned both into cultural calling cards for our brand. PopUp Bagels shares our obsession with creating experiences people crave. It's unexpected, a little playful and honestly incredibly delicious."

The spreads are designed for PopUp Bagels' signature "rip and dip" whole-bagel eating experience.

"The best collaborations start with flavors people already know and love, then give them a reason to experience them differently," Adam Goldberg, founder of PopUp Bagels, said in the release. "Papa Johns pepperoncini and Signature Garlic Sauce are instantly recognizable and bringing them into the PopUp Bagels world as schmears was exactly the kind of unexpected combination we love creating. It's where craftsmanship meets delicious chaos, taking familiar flavors, putting a fresh spin on them, and creating something that's equal parts thoughtfully crafted and irresistibly unexpected."

To celebrate the launch, PopUp Bagels will host a one-day event at an Atlanta Papa Johns location on Sept. 3. The pop-up will offer complimentary bagels, the limited-edition schmears and exclusive menu items created for the occasion on a first-come, first-served basis. Local Papa Rewards members will receive details about the participating location through the brand's mobile app.