This document provides an analysis of Papa John's Pizza and the pizza industry. It includes an examination of Papa John's external environment, competitive forces, key rivals, internal strategy and finances. The document concludes that while Papa John's focuses on quality ingredients and customer service, it should expand its product line as consumer tastes change. It recommends Papa John's increase its international market share, diversify its marketing efforts beyond NFL sponsorships, and ensure customer needs remain the main focus of its strategy.

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Prepared by:
Francis Flores
Professor Mike Shelton
GBA 490
July 6, 2016

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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Executive Summary 3
External Environment 5
Five Forces 7
Rivals and Industry Leadership 9
Internal Environment 10
SWOT 11
Financial Analysis 13
Final Analysis Recommendations 14
Appendix 17
Exhibit 1: Papa John’s Pizza External Environment 17
Exhibit 2: Competitive Forces in the Pizza Industry 19
Exhibit 3: Pizza Industry Strategic Group Map 20
Exhibit 4: Papa John’s Industry Rivals 21
Exhibit 5: Key Success Factors 22
Exhibit 6: Assessment of Papa John’s Strategy 23
Exhibit 7: SWOT Analysis 24
Exhibit 8: Weighted Competitive Assessment 25
Exhibit 9: Financial Analysis 26

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
To: John Schnatter
Chief Executive Officer
Papa John’s Pizza
The purpose of this report is to assess the pizza industry, as well as Papa John’s industry
outlook. To begin with, an industry analysis will be included, analyzing the following:
 Industry’s strategically relevant macro-environmental components
 Five forces evaluation of competitive forces in the pizza segment of the quick
serve restaurant industry
 The forces driving change in the industry
 Identification of Papa John’s main rivals and a high level overview of their
strategy and market position
 The industry’s key success factors
The examination will continue with a company and financial analysis of Papa John’s; this
will include:
 An evaluation of Papa John’s strategic and financial performance
 An identification and critique of the company’s strategy and business model
 The basis of Papa John’s competitive advantage
 An assessment of Papa John’s strength, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats;
most commonly known as a SWOT analysis

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The process of examination will end with final recommendations made to help Papa
John’s maintain their position as a market competitor in the industry, and continue to maintain a
strong competitive advantage in the pizza industry. This recommendations include:
 Identification of strategic issues and problems that need to be addressed by Papa
John’s
 Set of recommendations to deal with these issues and problems, including any
changes in the company’s generic competitive strategy
This report concludes that Papa John’s is a great competitor in this industry by focusing
their efforts in offering high quality products made from the best ingredients; responsive
customer service and convenient ordering systems; extensive marketing campaigns; employee
training and development; and franchising.
However, with peoples’ lifestyles changing toward the healthy trends, Papa John’s should
focus on expanding their product offering line, including something more than pizza and chicken
wings. Second, they should increase their international and domestic market share; increase their
marketing efforts, besides just sponsoring NFL games; and finally; one of Papa John’s strategic
intents is to build the strongest brand loyalty, but in their intents, the customers are not their main
focus. Therefore, a final recommendation for Papa John’s is to recognize the customers and their
needs.

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EXTERNAL ENVIRONMENT
According to the case analysis Papa John’s International Inc., Papa John’s is the third
largest pizza chain restaurant in the world, only behind Pizza Hut and Dominos with a market
share of 6% in comparison to 11.5% and 10% of its biggest competitors. Together they
accounted for 32% of industry sales, including Little Caesars in fourth place. As of 2013, the
company operated 723 company-owned and 3,705 franchised establishments in all 50 states and
34 countries. The company’s former CEO, John Schnatter owned approximately 20% of the
company’s shares.
The pizza industry is made up of two segments: pizza chains like Papa John’s and
pizzerias. This are independently owned restaurants that accounted for 57% of locations and 48%
of industry sales. The pizza industry was also comprised with 4 channels of distribution; these
are:
 Traditional sit-down: mostly made up of pizzerias and Pizza Hut locations
 Delivery: calling in and placing an order
 Carryout: allowed consumer to place their order via phone or online and pick it up
in person at the location. Little Caesars is well known location that permits only
carry outs
 Take n’ bake: provided pre made pizza for customers to take home and prepare
themselves at their best convenience
Pizza industry success is also accountable to location and economy stability. Having a
good location allows customer easy access to pick up their orders. Economy determines peoples’

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affordability power. For instance, when the economy was down and people faced financial
uncertainty, consumers were more likely to use take-out and delivery options, instead of sitting
and dining in the restaurant.
The pizza industry is currently being threat by the new health trends. Consumers now a
days seek out healthy choices in menus. In response to these event, a lot of the pizza chains
included their nutritional content on their website, on their advertisements, packages, etc.
Additionally, some pizza restaurants included salad bars in their locations. Another trend
growing in today’s society is technology and social media. The pizza industry, as well as Papa
John’s, began utilizing social media to reach and connect with their customers. Furthermore,
Papa John’s has been a pioneer in online food ordering since 1997.
FIVE FORCES
The rivalry among existing competitors in the pizza industry is high. Papa John’s is not
only competing against the two giants of the industry, Pizza Hut and Dominos, but as well to
local pizza restaurants. Most of these competitors sell similar products to Papa John’s at better
prices, but Papa John’s key distinction strategy is offering superior quality with their fresh
ingredients. For instance, they use only fresh dough, 100% real mozzarella cheese, vine-ripened
tomatoes, rather than tomato paste, and 100% beef and pork in its pizza.
The threat of new entrants to the industry is moderate, especially from small locally-
owned pizzerias. Even though Pizza Hut, Dominos, Papa John’s and Little Caesar’s dominate the

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industry, it is really easy to start a pizza business now a days. The initial investment pays off
quick because it is a cheap and legendary meal among people from every background.
The threat of substitution is high as there are other alternatives for customers to obtain
pizza. For instance, customers could choose to buy frozen pizzas at their local grocery stores for
a lower price than Papa John’s. It is the same way for the threat of bargaining power of buyers.
The threat is high because customers have many options to choose from when it comes to pizza.
Like mentioned before, there are many other places where one can get pizza at a cheaper price.
Buyers have the power to determine their affordability to this product.
The bargaining power of supplier’s threat is high since Papa John’s and all their
franchisees are required to purchase all ingredients from Papa John’s Quality Control Centers to
ensure consistency across locations.
The strategic group map in Exhibit 3 is based on product-line breadth and the use of
distribution channels. The top 4 competitors basically offer the same product line, except for
Pizza Hut, that offers salads, calzones, pastas, sandwiches, chicken, desserts, and more; Dominos
offers a variety of pizzas, pasta, bread bowls, sandwiches, wings, breadsticks, desserts, and
others. Papa John’s and Little Caesars both have a simple menu of pizza, chicken, desserts and
wings. The second characteristic is distribution channels, be it through dine in, carry out, or take
out. Papa John’s, Little Caesars, and Dominos is mostly carry out and take out. Pizza Hut is the
one known for its dine in locations.

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RIVALS AND INDUSTRY LEADERSHIP
Papa John’s main rivals are listed in Exhibit 4. As of 2013 Papa John’s holds 6 percent of
the market share. Pizza Hut, the number one rival holds 11.5 percent of the market share,
followed by Dominos with 10 percent of the market share. Independent pizzerias made up 48
percent of the market share and operated 57 percent of pizza stores. In addition to holding the
number one place in the industry, Pizza Hut was known for not only its takeout and delivery
options, but for its dine in locations. On the other hand, Domino’s sales were mainly generated
through its pizza delivery business. Hence, they always acquire convenient locations.
With the health trends invading the industry, all main players expanded their menu,
except Papa John’s, including all sorts of items like salad bars, sandwiches, chicken, and pasta.
In addition to expanding their menu, every chain allowed its customers to customize their pizzas,
offering a variety of crusts and pizza toppings. For instance, according to the Case, many
pizzerias featured specialty pizzas ranging from Hawaiian Barbeque Chicken to Bacon
Cheeseburger.
Furthermore, with the nonstop advancements of technology, most of the major pizza
chains included order placements via their websites, created smartphone apps, and even some
included a feature where the customer could track their order.
In order for Papa John’s to continue being successful and eventually overtake the other
two big players, they should be aware of key success factors, identified in Exhibit 5. One of the
most important key success factors for this industry is location. Having a good location permits
customers easy access to pick up their products and shorter driving distances not only for the

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delivery staff, but for the customers too. In addition, constant monitoring rival’s strengths and
weaknesses is key for Papa John’s to find loopholes and overcome their competitors.
Some other key success factors in this industry are flexibility during economic
downturns; high engagement in social media platforms to create greater brand awareness, as well
as advertisement and the offering of promotions/coupons; with the health trends taking over the
industry, it is imperative to let your customers know the nutritional content of the product; and
finally, training and development of your staff is key to offer great customer service.

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INTERNAL ENVIRONMENT
Papa John’s strategy is outlined in Exhibit 6. John Schnatter build Papa John’s literally
from the ground up. He started it in a broom closet at the back of his dad’s tavern to the world’s
third largest pizza chain restaurant. John Schnatter started the business with a simple business
model:
 Superior customer service
 Quality product
 Limited menu
Today, Papa John’s growth strategy focuses on:
 High quality menu offerings
 Efficient operating systems
 Employee training and development
 Effective marketing programs
 Strong franchise system
Furthermore, Papa John’s marketing innovations have contributed greatly to their
success, achieving the highest customer satisfaction ratings among pizza chain. Papa John’s
marketing innovations resulted in advertising during NFL games, and made them the most
identifiable sponsor of the NFL in 2013.
Aside from having great and innovative marketing strategies, Papa John’s is also a
forerunner in the online food ordering segment. They accepted their first online order in 1997,
and the rest is history. Since then they have added online ordering to their website, text orders,

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launched apps for smartphones, and an ordering app for kindle. By 2014, more than 50% of their
orders were made digitally.
Papa John’s franchise system is a great part of their growth strategy. In 2013 the
company had 3,705 franchise establishments. Papa John’s management team is very dedicated
into finding the right franchisee. They actively recruit operators with experience in the restaurant
industry so they can have the opportunity to open one or more Papa John’s establishments. The
franchisee has to first meet some financing requirements in order to proceed with the business.
SWOT ANALYSIS
Exhibit 7 represents Papa John’s strengths weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. Some
of Papa John’s strengths are:
 The use of only fresh ingredients – Papa John’s requires its franchisees to
purchase their ingredient from their quality control centers to maintain their high
quality standards
 Convenient ordering systems – Papa John’s allows their customers to order
online; through their app; or through their kindle
 National and global exposure – 723 owned restaurants, 3,705 franchised, and
exposure in 34 foreign countries
 World’s third largest pizza chain, trailing only Pizza Hut and Dominos
Papa John’s weaknesses include a limited menu; the company only offers pizza, chicken
wings, sides and desserts. This limits them because aside from being a pizza restaurant, they are
also considered a fast food chain restaurant and are going up against competitors like Burger

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King and Mc Donald’s that offer a variety of foods in their menus. Another weakness considered
for Papa John’s is their poor international exposure. Currently they are only present in 34 other
countries. If they want to continue to grow they should consider introducing Papa John’s to more
countries.
Papa John’s is faced with some good opportunities in the industry, some of them are:
 The addition of more items to their menu, this will position them higher in the
competition with their rivals that have already made this move
 Papa John’s should increase their franchisee opportunities, but as well as
company owned restaurants and venture into new countries around the world
introducing the Papa John’s brand
 Papa John’s should create more brand awareness by focusing more on their
customers, sponsoring other sports events, and targeting other age groups
Papa John’s faces several threats in the industry, for instance; they continue to be third in
the race with their top rivals Pizza Hut, and Dominos. Additionally, the health conscious trend
could harm them because pizza is stereotyped as an unhealthy dish. Finally, economy instability
not only in the US, but as well as in the other countries they are present, varies with time. This
instability causes changes in peoples’ buying power.
Exhibit 8 represents the Weighted Competitive Strength Assessment in which Pizza Hut
beat the rest of the remaining player. Even though Papa John’s has superior customer service,
this still does not beat the fact that Pizza Hut can accommodate all of its customers despite the
economic conditions. If they want to dine in, they can, since they have dine-in establishments.

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FINANCIAL ANALYSIS
Papa John’s financial analysis is shown in Exhibit 9. In 2014, the company achieved sales
per restaurant exceeding $1 million, operating income averaging $186,000 per unit, and cash
flow be close to $127,000 per location. Over the time period of 2011 to 2013, Papa John’s net
income increased from $4.7 million to $69.5 million.
We can see that Papa John’s gross profit margin decreased in 2010 to 2012 from 23.3
percent to 22.7 percent. The operating income also decreased from $95 million to $87 million.
Papa John’s revenue saw an increase of $57 million but then in the period of 2010 to 2012 it fell
to $52 million.

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FINAL ANALYSIS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
In order for Papa John’s to continue in the race for the best pizza chain restaurant in the
world, it must create some change to their growth and intent strategy. To begin with, Papa John’s
should expand its product line and include healthier menu options. Thus, adapting every type of
consumer, from vegetarians to meat cravers, to their brand. This move has been made by all of
its main rivals, resulting in great success. For instance, Pizza Hut attributes its incredible victory
to its dine-in menu. They offer lunch buffets, salad bars, calzones, pastas, and many more. Even
though pizza is the number one meal of choice for Americans, in recent years a trend that
overtook the whole restaurant industry emerged. According to the Case, a survey in 2010 by the
NRA concluded that 7 out of 10 consumers wanted to eat healthy when eating out. Expanding its
product line and including healthier options is an imperative course of action for Papa John’s.
Second, Papa John’s should increase their domestic and international market share,
creating a healthy ratio among the two. Currently, Papa John’s is only present in 34 other
countries. They operate 723 company-owned restaurants and 3,705 franchised establishments.
According to the Case, the company plans to open more than 1,000 new units over the next 5
years, with 95 percent of these units being franchised. This is going to create an unbalanced ratio
between company-owned and franchised. If somehow Papa John’s could venture into other
countries by purchasing/partnering with smaller pizza restaurants, this will not only introduce the
brand to new countries, but also it will increase their revenues since company owned restaurants
produce more revenue. In 2013, domestic company-owned restaurants had a revenue of
$635,317 in comparison to $82,873 from North American franchising.

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Third, Papa John’s is known to be one of the official sponsors of the NFL, and their
advertisements and promotions are big through them. Papa John’s should consider expanding
their marketing efforts. Currently, Papa John’s marketing strategy varies by geography, in the
U.S it consists of television, print, and social media marketing and advertising, as well as locally
targeted promotions. Internationally, Papa John’s only focuses on a small radius surrounding an
establishment; and they use television, radio, and print advertising. Internationally, Papa John’s
should get rid of their advertisements through radio, since nowadays no one really listens to the
radio, they just play music from their phone. Instead they should partner with big grocery stores
where they can target everybody and offer in store promotions. This form of direct marketing
will help Papa John’s increase their brand awareness among other people from different
backgrounds. In the U.S new social media trends have arisen, like the promotion app “Hooked.”
Papa John’s should partner with apps like this, where people can find their promotions. People
nowadays like the thrill of finding good promotions and coupons. Also, instead of marketing by
location, Papa John’s should focus its resources by doing it nationally. This will not only save
them money in the logistics department, but it will reach a greater market. Finally, Papa John’s
should market their pizza as a healthy pizza.
A final and most important recommendation for Papa John’s is to include their
customers’ needs and wants into their intent strategy. According to the Case, and it was
mentioned before in this case analysis; John Schnatter build Papa John’s on three basic key
success factors: superior customer service, limited menu, and quality products. Today, that
superior customer service factor is not part of their strategic intent. In order for Papa John’s to
strive and overtake its competitors, they need to focus their business around consumers. They
could do this by employing a link in their website that would take costumers to a place where

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they could voice out their opinions online. Dominos established this and it has been extremely
successful for them. Additionally, one of Papa John’s key success factors is employee training
and development. This is a very good way for management to instill this into their employees.

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APPENDIX
EXHIBIT 1: Papa John’s External Environment
Pizza Industry in the U.S
Market Share Leaders:
 Pizza Hut: 11.5 percent market share
 Dominos: 10 percent market share
 Papa John’s: 6 percent market share
 Little Caesars: 4.7 percent market
share
Establishments growth: 86,493 by 2017
Products:
 Pizza
 Healthier options
 Chicken
 Dessert
Services:
 Dine in
 Carryout
 Delivery
 Take n’ bake
 Catering
Revenue: $42.8 billion
Projected Annual Growth: $49.5 billion
by 2017
Segments:
 Pizza Chains
 Independent Pizzerias: 57 percent of
locations and 48 percent of industry
sales
Key External Drivers:
 Online ordering: today, most of the
pizza orders are made electronically.
 Product line expansion: the addition
of more items to their menu to
satisfy every costumer out there

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 Healthy trends: expanding their
marketing efforts towards presenting
their products as healthy
 Distribution Channels: adding more
ways to provide the costumers with
the product, for Papa John’s; adding
more dine in establishments will
benefit them greatly
 Location: accommodating and
acquiring establishments were
costumers have easy access to them

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EXHIBIT 2: Competitive Forces in the Pizza Industry
Rivalry Among Competing
Seller: High
 High exit barriers
 Diverse strategies
 Similar product line
 Numerous competitors
 Competitive prices
Threat of Substitute
Products: High
 Grocery stores selling
frozen pizzas
 Other fast food chains
 Lower prices
 New pizzerías are
emerging
Threat of New Entrants:
Moderate
 Entry barriers are low
 Existing members are
looking to expand
their product line
 Smaller pizzerias
emerging
 Buyer demand is
growing
Threat of Bargaining Power
of Suppliers: High
 Franchisers are required
to purchase their
supplier from the
Quality Control Centers
 Suppliers products are
critical to industry
 No better substitutes for
these suppliers
Threat of Bargaining Power
of Buyers: High
 Switching costs are low
 Buyers have the ability
to postpone purchases
 Buyers are price
sensitive
 Smaller pizzerias

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EXHIBIT 3: Pizza Industry Strategic Group Mapping
Pizza
Hut
Dominos
Papa Johns
Little Caesars
0
0.5
1
1.5
2
2.5
3
3.5
0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5
DistributionChannels
Product Line Breadth

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EXHIBIT 4: Papa John’s Industry Rivals
Pizza Hut: Pizza Hut operates and franchises restaurants in 88 countries plus the United
States. Pizza Hut is famous for its dine-in establishments, although they are starting to open only
carry out and delivery establishments. Pizza Hut’s dine in menu includes a variety of options;
from pizza to salads. Another service provided by Pizza Hut is catering. In 2013, Pizza Hut held
an 11.5 percent of the market share.
Dominos: Dominos in 2013 had 10 percent of the market share. They also have a very
high international exposure. In 2014, Dominos was present in 77 countries plus the United
States. They franchised more than 10,800 carryout and delivery units. In the period of 2011 to
2013, its revenues increased from $1,652 million to $1,802 million. Company’s global retail
sales exceeded $8 billion in 2013. Dominos was mainly known for its pizza delivery service;
they mainly focus on acquiring convenient locations for customers. In addition to offering a
variety of pizzas with different crusts and toppings, Dominos also offers pasta, bread bowls,
sandwiches, and others. Dominos also offered its customers the ability to track their orders.
Little Caesars: Little Caesars hold the fourth place after Papa John’s. They own 4.7
percent of the market share. They operate in more than 20 countries with over 2,500 units. Little
Caesars is mainly famous for its takeout service; their main business was having Hot-N-Ready
pizzas for customers. They were constantly being made so they were ready as soon as ordered.
Like Papa John’s, its menu is simple; it consists of a variety of pizza, chicken, cheese bread,
desserts, and sodas. They are mainly focused on cutting costs than expanding its product line.

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EXHIBIT 5: Key Success Factors
Location: with every pizza chain restaurant offering some type of carryout or delivery, it
is important for the restaurants’ location to be centric to the target market the company is looking
to acquire or target.
Flexibility: with the economy constantly changing, not only in the US, but as well as in
other countries, it is important for players in this industry to adapt their customers’ needs
according to the situation.
Social Media Engagement: with the great technological advances coming our way,
staying ahead of this is required for big companies to reach their target audience. Through these
social media platforms companies are also engaging more with customers, letting them express
their opinions and make them feel heard, as well as offering them coupons and promotions.
Health: 7 out of 10 people said they are looking to eat healthy every time they eat out. In
order to be successful in this industry, players must accommodate customers’ demands. Showing
their nutritional content nowadays is a must, as well as showing customers a calorie counter for
better understanding of what they eat.
Training and Development for better customer service: this is the most important
factor in every industry. Train your employees to love their company and it will be easier for
customers to love it as well.

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EXHIBIT 6: Assessment of Papa John’s Strategy
Papa John’s ultimate goal is to provide its customers the freshest ingredients possible.
The company’s strategy is comprised around five major components: high-quality menu
offerings, efficient operating systems, employee training and development, effective marketing
programs, and a strong franchise system. Papa John’s has been successful so far because of its
fresh ingredients, convenient ordering systems, extensive marketing campaigns, and franchising.
The company’s franchising segment is strong; they plan to open more than 1,000 new stores in
the next five years, with 95 percent being franchised and 70 percent being in international
markets.
Furthermore, Papa John’s superior customer service has given them the highest
satisfaction ratings in customer service. With the industry changing towards more health
conscious consumers and trends, Papa John’s responds to this by informing their customers
about their products’ nutritional value on their website. Papa John’s is currently only present in
34 countries; by venturing into other countries they will gain constrict the gap between its
competitors that have more international presence
Since Papa John’s was first started its main value has been a strong work ethic and
excellent customer service, this was instilled to John by its father and grandfather. If Papa John’s
continue to fulfill this core values, they will continue to be successful, gain a higher market
share, and outcompete its rivals.

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EXHIBIT 7: SWOT Analysis
Strengths
 High quality products
 Convenient ordering systems
 Marketing innovations
 NFL sponsor
 Strong training and development
programs
 Active within the community
Weaknesses
 Limited menu
 Low distribution channels – limited
dine in establishments
 Unbalanced company owned-
franchised ratio
 Poor international exposure
 Franchise management
Opportunities
 Expand menu
 Market their pizzas as healthy
 Venture into new countries
 Incorporate more dine-in
establishments
 Better marketing strategies and brand
awareness
Threats
 New Pizzerias emerging
 Competitors’ lower prices
 Health trends
 Competitors expanding their menus
and distribution channels

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EXHIBIT 8: Weighted Competitive Strength Assessment
Key Success
Factors
Weight Pizza Hut
Rating Score
Dominos
Rating Score
Papa Johns
Rating Score
Little Caesars
Rating Score
Location .25 8 2 10 2.5 6 1.5 7 1.75
Social
Media
Engagement
.10 8 .80 7 .70 9 .90 6 .60
Flexibility .20 10 2 7 1.4 6 1.2 6 1.2
Health
Conscious
.20 10 2 7 1.4 5 1 4 .80
Customer
Service
.25 8 2 8 2 8 2 8 2
Total
1 8.80 8 6.6 6.35

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EXHIBIT 9: Financial Analysis
Compound Annual Growth
2013 2012 2011 2010 2009
Revenue $1,439 mill $1,343 mill $1,218 mill $1,126 mill $1,106 mill
Gross Profit 58% 23.6% 22.7% 23.3% 21.6%
Operating
Expenses
7.4% 7.4% 7.1% 7.7% 8.6%
Operating
Income
$107 mill $100 mill $87 mill $87 mill $95 mill
Net Income $70 mill $62 mill $56 mill $52 mill $57 mill