Is Another Comeback Possible For Papa Johns In 2026?

The answer to the question "what's for dinner?" is forever a tough one. But for a while, luck hasn't necessarily been in favor of Papa Johns. While the pizza chain found success in avoiding big discounts a few years back, Papa Johns has recently struggled with sales due to a tough economy, changing consumer preferences after the pandemic, and enticing competitors. In 2024, the company took steps toward another comeback, most notably bringing on its current CEO Todd Penegor. The company has made efforts to raise the company's sales by removing underperforming sides from the menu, re-franchising hundreds of locations, and further cutting costs by $25 million in the years to come.

In 2025, Papa Johns did see slight increases in pizza sales — perhaps due to menu savings, 50% off deals, and partnerships with UberEats. However, the sales increases were not impressive enough to make up for previous annual drops. Major multi-billion dollar talks of Apollo Global buying the public pizza chain out failed at the end of last year. And recent data indicates that sales are on the decline again by 3%, according to CNN, as 2026 has begun. So can Papa Johns win big on its ongoing improvement plans? At just the start of the year, it's unclear — but the pizza chain seems to be relying on some old tricks instead of inventing the (pizza) wheel to do so.

While Penegor has been vocal about making changes on an internal level, Papa Johns also made menu updates, such as focusing on core pizza items, as a response to consumer purchasing habits. In 2025, Papa Johns also launched new items like the Papa Dippa, a pizza pre-cut into strips made for dipping in a "flight" of garlic, roasted garlic parmesan, creamy garlic pesto, and garlic hot honey sauces. Sure, the pizza chain has been known to serve the worst cheesy bread, but new items like these could offer a promising turnaround. 

Beyond the menu innovation, it seems Papa Johns is entering 2026 with an emphasis on nostalgia. Namely, it's breaking out an old favorite: pan pizza. Papa Johns re-introduced the thick-crust pie topped with a generous helping of sauce and cheese and baked in a pan. The resulting chewy-yet-crisp crust made the style of pizza popular at chains in the past, and it appears the brand is leaning into yesteryear as part of its improvement plan. 

Nostalgia and food are the perfect pair — which could be especially true for takeout or delivery pizza. Despite massive Papa Johns restaurant expansion in countries like India, in today's tough restaurant market, only time will tell if domestic efforts like these will be enough to a grant the pizza chain a comeback in 2026.