How Papa John's Pizza is Conquering the Filipino Palate

By Jing Lejano / Photos by Andrew Tadalan

From Indiana to Manila

Going by the culinary philosophy that a dish is only as good as its ingredients, well then, Papa John’s Pizza probably offers one of the best pizzas in the world’ Papa John’s started operating out of a broom closet of a pub in Indiana in 1983, John Schnatter, its eponymous founder, thought that everybody should be able to enjoy superior-quality traditional pizza whether in a restaurant or at home. To realize this goal, he sold his 1972 Camaro Z28 and purchased $1,600 worth of secondhand restaurant equipment and started delivering fresh, delicious pizzas.

There was a phenomenal reception from the market that marked Papa John’s as the third largest takeout and delivery pizza restaurant chain in the United States. This paved the way for John to retrieve his beloved car and after more than two decades, he was reunited with his prized Camaro Z28 last 2009.

In 2011, Papa John’s Pizza made its debut in the Philippines with the opening of its flagship store in Robinsons Galleria Veranda.

“The reception from those that knew of Papa John’s Pizza was great. A lot of them had Papa John’s in the US, while visiting or studying. Our kababayans that worked or visited the Middle East was enthusiastic,” says Paul S. Soo, head of Berjaya Pizza Philippines Inc., franchiser of Papa John’s in the Philippines.

BEST PRACTICES

Papa John’s Pizza Philippines serves pizzas fresh from the oven, prepared from the finest ingredients with a hand-tossed crust that’s absolutely light and fluffy. Its signature Garlic Dipping Sauce is served on the side—perfect for dipping that scrumptious crust! The brand’s “better ingredients, better pizza” principle permeates every facet of Papa John’s everyday operation from the diligence in importing ingredients and sourcing local suppliers to the discipline in producing high quality dough at our Quality Control Center.” says Soo.

He adds that Papa John’s crew members are trained to be strict In terms of quality control and operational efficiency, advised to address customer feedback immediately, and asked to keep the store environment clean at all times. More importantly, Soo says, crew members are encouraged to be proud of their work and love what they are doing as their positive attitude affects how they serve customers.

It isn’t surprising then that Papa John’s quickly gained a loyal following among pizza fans. Its bestsellers include Super Papa’s, which is chock-full of such savory ingredients as pepperoni, Italian sausage, ham, mushrooms, onions, green peppers, and black olives; All the Meat, which is topped with generous slices of pepperoni and Italian sausage, beef bits, ham, and bacon: Pepperoni that’s smothered in extra melt-in-your-mouth cheese; and the classic Hawaiian. Some items in Papa John’s menu have been developed for the Philippine market like the pasta line, rice products, and desserts. Soo says, “The core products such as pizza are required to follow certain approval process such as GMP (Good Manufacturing Practices) and HACCP (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points) and ISO certified to ensure that our raw materials are prepared based on food qualities and food safety standards, especially if new ingredients need to be sourced out.”

This Is why having a reliable supplier, like San Miguel Pure Foods Inc. - Great Food Solutions (GFS). is vital to Papa John’s everyday operations. Soo says, “We are pleased that as a valued and trusted partner, they understand our requirements and the stringent processes that come with accreditation. They have tremendously helped us with our local requirements, modification in specs, and even in other areas such as product development.”

GFS helps make Papa John’s Pizza such a delicious experience for diners by supplying them with flour, cheese, customized meat toppings, and pasta sauce.

THE NEXT CHALLENGE

Papa John’s started out with a blast, building one store after another store, making more and more people happy with their fresh, high quality pizzas. The Berjaya Group’s faithfulness to the values that made the brand such a success in the United States as well as its ferocious drive to succeed earned for Papa John’s Pizza Philippines the 2011 Papa John’s Marketing Excellence Award for New Markets. There are currently 14 Papa John’s Pizza stores all over the metro. But more needs to be done.

Spreading the good news about Papa John’s and enticing new customers to try their pizza is the brand’s ultimate challenge. “Against competition that has been around with stores close to 200 all over the country, it is an uphill climb.” says Soo. In this regard, Papa John’s will be opening more stores in the Metro Manila area, eventually branching out into nearby cities and towns. It is also constantly reviewing its price orientation knowing full well that Filipinos will always go for value for money.

Another vital factor that ensures success, according to Soo, is encouraging your people. “We do not only train them how to work and operate things but also how to love and take care of their work.”

Soo emphasizes. “When we opened our first store, we have set in our minds a target in opening four to five stores in a fairly short time arid we want to do that. We want to be known as the preferred pizza brand in the country... For us and for me personally, it takes one new customer making us their favorite pizza, opening one store at a time, as we increase our presence and build a strong and dedicated team that works towards the same goal of delivering great product with good service, ”team that works towards the same goal of delivering great product with good service.”