With an ambitious plan to open 650 stores nationwide and after a long hiatus of 8 years, Papa John is all set for the grand Indian comeback.
While offering a premium dine-in experience that promises to redefine the pizza landscape, the pizza giant aims to blend its signature flavours with a fresh focus on local tastes.
Papa John’s to Launch 650 Stores in India with Focus on Quality and Local Expansion
The Group CEO at master franchisee PJP Investments Group, shared this development in one of the exclusive interviews.
After exiting the Indian market 8 years ago, the brand has decided to make a comeback with a mix of small and large-format stores.
The UAE-based PJP Investments Group, along with investment firm Pulsar Capital, are joint master franchisee of Papa John’s in India. With the aim to capitalize on country’s booming eating-out market, over the period of next 10 years, the partners plan to launch a total of 650 restaurants across the nation.
Though there were no comments or disclosure made on the investment numbers, the Group CEO said that the new innings of pizza giant is almost two years in the making and the franchisee partners are carefully treading the Indian soil with focus on one city at a time, while prioritizing quality ingredients, and delivering a fresh baking experience.
The first city in their list in Bengaluru, where the company opened four dine-in restaurants located in Indiranagar, Sarjapur Road, Electronic City and Hennur, all of which are around 1,600 to 2,000 sq ft in size.
Papa John’s Eyes Rapid Expansion in India with Focus on Quality, Local Flavours, and Competitive Pricing
Papa John’s, America’s third-largest pizza chain which is best-known for its crusty pizzas, is also keeping pizza prices in the range of Rs 149-799, emphasising the quality of its ingredients, though rivals such as Domino’s offer pizzas for as low as Rs 49 a unit and have aggressive offers in the sub-Rs 180 price point.
Vaidya said that as retailer eyes a faster rollout across Bengaluru in two years, smaller 1,200-sqft outlets of Papa John’s catering largely to deliveries and takeaways will come later.
He said “Three more restaurants are slated for launch before the end of the current calendar year in Bengaluru. We’ll raise the number to 30 restaurants in two years before we expand to cities such as Chennai and Hyderabad. We’ll move to the north thereafter”.
He added that the brand shall not just sell global bestsellers but also focus more to acclimatize and cater to the Indian taste, “The split will be one-third for our global best-sellers, one-third for our India-centric vegetarian pizzas and one-third for our India-focused menu targeting local tastes and flavours”.
Alongside pizza, the brand shall also be offering starters and desserts on its menu and for beverages, have tied up with Coca-Cola.
Papa John has already setup a quality control center in Hennur to supply freshly-prepared dough to its Bengaluru stores, and is planning to replicate this model in other cities.
The brand’s re-entry into India comes as top pizza chains like Domino’s, Pizza Hut, and Papa John’s compete for a share of the growing ₹15,000 crore domestic market, expanding at 9.3% annually. Additionally, the 4th largest American pizza player, Little Caesars, has launched a store in Delhi in June and is planning to add around 100 stores in the next few years.
Summary
Papa John is all set for the great Indian comeback story, after a hiatus of 8 years, with plans to open 650 stores over the next decade. The brand shall re-enter the booming eating out Indian market with new energy and strategy while focusing on quality, local flavours, and a premium dine-in experience. 4 restaurants have already been launched in Bengaluru. The third biggest American Pizza player plans to cater to Indian tastes while offering global favourites and is planning to expand to other cities like Chennai and Hyderabad.
