Papa Johns announces wild new menu deal to win back customers | Official Website of Louis Velazquez, entrepreneur, finance guy and tech innovator

As kids, many of us saw pizza as a delicacy we would only earn for behaving well, accomplishing an achievement, or celebrating a birthday party.

Some may fondly remember class pizza parties as a reward for reaching the monthly reading goal, or a family pizza night granted because we went through an entire day without getting in a fight with our siblings.

💵💰 Don’t miss the move: Subscribe to TheStreet’s free daily newsletter 💵💰

As we got older, many of us realized that what felt like a grand reward was also a way for adults to feed us a cheaper meal and trick us into thinking it was special.

Nonetheless, the memories are worth more than the $5 pizza they came with.

To this day, pizza chains are still releasing value deals to keep us hooked, but these days, it may be because many are struggling to make ends meet.

Papa Johns launches a new limited-time menu deal.

Image source&colon; Bloomberg/Getty Images

Papa Johns reveals a new strategy to defeat a concerning consumer trend

Papa Johns (PZZA) has been struggling lately, with North America comparable sales dropping nearly 3% year over year during the first quarter of fiscal 2025.

The company attributed this decline to ongoing economic uncertainty and market volatility. Consumers remain financially challenged, prompting them to scale back on their spending, while competition among rival pizza chains intensifies.

All these factors combined have impacted Papa Johns’ sales in the U.S. market.

More Food News:

“While there is still work to be done to unlock our full potential, we are moving forward with a sense of urgency and confidence in our ability to deliver on our promise to be the best pizza makers in the business,” said Papa Johns CEO Todd Penegor in an earnings call.

To reverse declines and widen its price range, the company has strategically created a better balance between full-priced menu items and value offerings.

In March, Papa Johns heavily promoted its Epic Stuffed Crust Pizza, priced at around $13.99, alongside its $6.99 Papa Pairings deal, which it says helped increase pizza orders during the national promotion.

Papa Johns launches a major promotion to compete with rivals

Papa Johns has launched a limited-time promotion where customers can get a free large one-topping pizza by purchasing any large pizza at regular menu price, allowing them to get two pizzas for the price of one.

This deal can be redeemed until July 27 at all participating Papa Johns locations nationwide when ordering through the app or official website.

However, Papa Johns is not the only pizza chain using this deal strategy to lure customers into its doors.

Rivals like Pizza Hut, Domino’s, and Little Caesars have also joined the promotional train to defeat this concerning consumer trend, adding fire to the competition.

Yum! Brands’ (YUM) Pizza Hut recently released the “$2 Tuesday Deal,” which lets customers get a one-topping Personal Pan Pizza for $2 every Tuesday in July.

Domino’s (DPZ) launched its “Mix & Match Deal,” where customers can choose any two or more select menu items for $6.99 each.

Little Caesars entered the value meal trend by unveiling the new “More for $9.99,” which lets customers mix and match multiple items to create their pizza feast for $9.99.