Here's Why Papa Johns Pizzas Come With That Pepper In The Box

Next to its undeniably addictive garlic sauce, the accompaniment arguably most emblematic of Papa Johns is the plump, pickled peperoncini pepper. As the first thing that immediately comes to mind when thinking of the pizza chain, we know that it is certain to await us whenever we lift that greasy, branded cardboard lid — but why? Well, according to the chain's former Chief Ingredient Officer, Sean Muldoon, in an older version of an interview with Thrillist (via Internet Archive), it's tradition.

Before Papa Johns, the chain's founder and now controversial former chairman, John Schnatter, was a dishwasher at Rocky's Sub Pub in Jeffersonville, Indiana. At the establishment, it was customary to include a pickled pepper with every pizza. Schnatter noted how much this small token touched the clientele, so when he began slinging pizza from his father's tavern, Mick's Lounge, after college, he adopted the practice. "John always acknowledged how much people loved that inclusion of the pepper," Muldoon recalled. "Since day one, he made sure there was a pepper in every one of his pizza boxes, too."

Pepperoncini peppers (called friggitelli in Italy) are often found in Italian and Greek cooking and is relatively mild in comparison with more assertive chili peppers. They only score between 100 and 500 on the Scoville scale but nevertheless bring a pleasant bit of heat. The level of appreciation concerning these innocuous yellow treats by Schnatter's early customers would turn out not to be an isolated phenomenon. "We briefly tested taking it out of our pizza boxes," Muldoon added, "and you wouldn't believe the uproar that it caused, it was like the world was ending."

Papa Johns sources its pepperoncini from Turkey, and, per Muldoon's estimation, roughly a quarter of all the pepperoncini exported from the nation find their way to one of Papa Johns' 6,000-plus locations around the world. The pizza brand goes through so many of the pickled peppers that it has even affected the global supply chain. During a period of rapid expansion in the late '90s, the insatiable demand for more of this distinctive side inadvertently caused trouble. "It was actually a worldwide pepperoncini shortage," Muldoon stated, "and it was our fault.

It would not be the last time that a fast food franchise would grapple with the unforeseen consequences of what can happen when a popular chili suddenly becomes a rarity. Devotees of In-N-Out Burger may be familiar with the optional cascabella peppers, a mind-blowing way to spice up the chain's Animal Style fries. These peppers are wildly popular in California and frequently served as an accompaniment by other local chains like Original Tommy's and Zankou Chicken. However, in 2016, certain environmental factors led to a catastrophic shortage, forcing many restaurants to ration the amount that customers could order.

So, the next time you order Papa Johns (which may be mounting a comeback in 2026), be grateful for those little pepperoncini peppers. Although Tasting Table judged Papa Johns as offering the worst chain restaurant pepperoni pizza on the market, that famed pepper may just make things a little bit better. Heed Muldoon's advice by circling pepper juice around the pie or come up with your own method.