Papa Johns' New Papadia Might Sound Familiar To Taco Bell Fans
Have you ever crushed up potato chips and stuffed them into your sandwich before? If so, we see you, and we feel you. But, have you ever used crushed-up chips as a pizza topping? Papa Johns is making the concept happen with its latest collab that it no doubt hopes will inspire pizza-ranch-dippers to rapture. Introducing: the Doritos Cool Ranch Papadia. The pizza giant has joined forces with Frito-Lay for this when-worlds-collide creation. Taco Bell fans will surely recognize the concept from the Doritos Locos Tacos, which similarly incorporated Doritos flavor dust into the taco shell. Now, Papa Johns is answering the question that diehard Taco Bell fans and anybody with the munchies have ever asked: What if we did this with pizza?
The Doritos Cool Ranch Papadia is loaded with a choice of protein (beef, steak, chicken, or others) and dusted with the fan-favorite bold, zesty chip seasoning. The new Doritos Cool Ranch flavor joins the current Papadia lineup of Philly Cheesesteak, BBQ Chicken and Bacon, Grilled Buffalo Chicken, and Italian, all wrapped in a Parmesan-crusted cheese pizza crust. At least for now, the Doritos Cool Ranch Papadia will be available for a limited time only. It's scheduled to hit the market on Thursday, May 4, and will run until July 23 for $7.99. Papa Johns Rewards members will get early access to the sandwich on Monday, May 1.
A menu expansion based on past successes
Papa Johns first launched its Italian piadina-inspired "Papadia" in 2020. It's a made-to-order, flatbread-style, pizza-quesadilla hybrid sandwich loaded with pizza toppings, in case you've never tried it before. Indeed, there's probably a pretty good chance that you haven't. As Kimberly Bean (Papa Johns VP of Menu Strategy & Calendar Planning) tells Food & Wine, "Papadias are still not well-known to the public. Many haven't tried one yet and may not even know what it is." In its three years on the market, fans have reportedly been slow to take to the non-pizza menu item, sticking instead to the tried-and-true pies for which Papa Johns is known. With this new Doritos Cool Ranch Papadia, the company is hoping to draw foodies' attention and expand the Papadia's fanbase, says Bean. It's already been an eventful year for Doritos, which released a new Sweet & Tangy Barbecue flavor in January and earlier this month announced the first-ever Doritos-flavored beef jerky.
If Taco Bell's past collaboration with Frito-Lay is any indication, this new foray into Doritos land could be a very smart business move for Papa Johns. Taco Bell first launched the Nacho Cheese Doritos Locos Taco in early 2012 and sold over 450 million in the first year alone. The fast food chain introduced the Cool Ranch flavor in March 2013, which received similarly raving fan approval. Papa Johns could very well see a big response with its new Papadia.