Papa John’s Similar Companies, Competitors and Alternatives In 2023

Papa John’s conducts business as Papa John’s International, Inc. It is a pizza restaurant chain with dual headquarters, one in Louisville, KY, and the other in Atlanta, GA. If you love pizza, then you will absolutely adore Papa John’s, for it has its own unique taste, different from other pizzerias. The company had humble beginnings in 1984 when John Schnatter, the founder, sold pizzas from the back of his father’s tavern. Within a year, he had his own pizzeria, and thus began the mouthwatering legacy of Papa John’s.

Name	Papa John’s
Founded	1984
Headquarters	Louisville, KY and Atlanta, GA
SIC Code	9211
Status	Public, Independent Company
Industry Sector	Restaurants
Employees	16,700
Trading Symbol	Nasdaq: PZZA

How Papa John’s makes Money

Papa John’s money-making strategy is like of most franchised restaurants. It prepares its pizza from scratch and sells it to its customers for a profit. The company shares its recipe among its franchises, but it also gives a great amount of levy to its international locations. Not everyone in the world has similar tastes. It often changes from region to region. Thus, Papa John’s allows its franchises to alter the recipe according to the region’s tastes.

Restaurants

Papa John’s entered the quick-service pizza race relatively late. However, its lip-smacking recipe helped it to rapidly catch up to its competition. The company is currently one of the leading horses in the restaurant industry. It is sub-categorized in the fast-food sector, and it generates revenue of $1.8 billion for the industry. Apart from pizza, you can also find hot chicken wings and an exquisite range of dessert options at Papa John’s.

Companies Similar to Papa John’s

Did you know that Papa John’s is the third-largest pizza restaurant chain in the world? It has more than 5500 outlets situated in various parts of the globe, and it is widely acclaimed by its consumers. But we understand if you want to try out other options.

Competitors to Papa John’s

The biggest rivals to Papa John’s are Domino’s, Pizza Hut, Little Caesars, and McDonald’s. Let’s discuss Papa John’s similar companies in more detail.

Domino’s

When it comes to pizzerias, Domino’s stands among the big three, and we don’t mean the big three of consumer electronics. The company may have been founded in the United States, but it has made itself at home in many other countries. Ask any person residing outside the US – what is your favorite pizza brand? Around eight out of 10 people will say “Domino’s”!

Restaurants

Domino’s is one of the oldest pizza delivery franchises in the restaurant sector. Founded in 1960 by Tom and James Monaghan, Domino’s currently has over 17,000 outlets spread throughout the world. A major number of the restaurants are located in their home country. The company makes an income of $726 million, most of which comes from food delivery.

Annual Revenue	Funding	Headquarters	Employees
$4.1B	$339M	Ann Arbor, MI	290,000

Pizza Hut

Pizza Hut is THE largest pizza restaurant chain in the world. Period. It is also the oldest! It’s not only the utmost respect for the company that has brought it to this list but also the quality of pizza delivered. Dan and Frank Carney, two brothers, launched the first Pizza Hut restaurant in 1958 in Wichita, KS. It became so popular so quickly that they opened another five outlets in six months.

Restaurants

Pizza Hut is undoubtedly the original pizzeria. It took the restaurant industry by storm back when it was founded, and it continues to do so even today. Did you know that it is a subsidiary of Yum! Brands? Pizza Hut has become so huge over the decades that we often feel it is a privately owned organization! The company has over 18,700 outlets around the planet, and a few more are added to the list every year.

Annual Revenue	Funding	Headquarters	Employees
$12.95B	$150M	Plano, Texas	350,000

Little Caesars

Here’s a small puzzle for you. Papa John’s is the third-largest pizzeria in the world, but it ranks fourth in the US. Little Caesars is the third-largest pizzeria in the country. How come? The answer is simple. Though Little Caesars is a multinational company, a major number of its outlets are concentrated in the US, unlike Papa John’s which is spread more or less evenly throughout. Thus, in America, the primary competitor of Papa John’s is Little Caesars, but on an international level, the latter is nowhere near it.

Restaurants

Little Caesars has been active in the restaurant industry since 1959, just a year after the birth of Pizza Hut. Thus, though it has a much fewer number of outlets than the latter, it is an equally reputable company. Little Caesars is a privately owned firm that also serves chicken wings and breadsticks in addition to their signature pizzas.

Annual Revenue	Funding	Headquarters	Employees
$3.8B	Undisclosed	Detroit, Michigan	18,500

McDonald’s

Papa John’s is a pizzeria, so what is McDonald’s doing among its list of competitors? The thing is, Papa John’s is also a fast-food restaurant, and the industry leader in fast food is none other than McDonald’s. On another note, did you know that McDonald’s once served pizza as well? It was called McPizza, and it was discontinued at the turn of the millennium due to low popularity.

Restaurants

McPizza may have fizzled out quick, but McDonald’s hamburgers are going strong as ever. The company also offers a greater variety in its menu than Papa John’s, but not greater than Subway, which has its make-your-own-sub strategy. McDonald’s owns over 40,000 outlets worldwide and has an operating income of $9 billion.

Annual Revenue	Funding	Headquarters	Employees
$21B	Undisclosed	Chicago, IL	200,000

Conclusion:

Papa John’s biggest competitor is Domino’s. Surprised? Felt like we should have picked Pizza Hut, right, being the world leader in pizza restaurants and all? But it’s a tough ask, especially considering the relative popularity of Domino’s on an international level. It’s just like trying to pick between IBM, Accenture, and TCS, for all three are equally impressive. However, analyzing both the stats and the overall popularity of the brands, we would go with Domino’s like Papa John’s biggest competitor.