Marketing

Papa John’s introduces new loyalty program

The pizza chain says Papa Rewards will give out points faster than before.
Photograph: Shutterstock

Papa John’s hopes that a new, faster rewards program will keep its customers coming back.

The Louisville, Ky.-based pizza chain on Monday announced an upgraded Papa Rewards program that it says will give out rewards five times faster than it did before.

The rewards, or Papa Dough, can be redeemed for anything on the menu outside of alcohol.

The new program will give out a point for every dollar spent, and 75 points will equal $10 in Papa Dough.

The new program also does not limit the amount of points earned per transaction, and points are accrued for any order.

Current members will be transitioned to the new program, and their points under the old program will be multiplied by five. New and current members will also receive free Cheesesticks with any $12 purchase through Jan. 27.

The company is also giving rewards members a chance to win a gold pepperoncini, worth $10,000. To enter, members have to make a $5 purchase between Dec. 17 and Jan. 6.

The new loyalty program is coming as Papa John’s works to rebuild same-store sales following a difficult year, beginning last November after ousted founder John Schnatter appeared to blame NFL player protests for the chain’s weakening sales.

Same-store sales at the chain’s 3,400 North American units declined 9.8% in the quarter ended Sept. 30.

Papa John’s has worked to evolve its marketing, including a “Voices of Papa John’s” campaign featuring employees and franchisees, which helped improve sales in September.

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