Marketing
What's behind Papa Johns' brand refresh?
After nine straight quarters of growth, Papa Johns is ready for the next phrase in the company's history with a brand refresh that updates stores and logos. Kate Carpenter, senior director of brand advertising and design, explains what's behind the changes and what it means for the pizza chain.
November 23, 2021 by Mandy Wolf Detwiler — Editor, Networld Media Group
Papa Johns has given itself a glow-up with a new logo, catchphrase and store look. It's even ditched the apostrophe in its name. The company has experienced nine straight quarters of growth and sales are up almost 32% over the same time period in 2019 thanks in part to some new menu items. Pizza Marketplace reached out to Kate Carpenter, senior director of brand advertising and design, via an email interview to learn about the company's big rebrand and what it means for the future of the pizza chain.
Q: What was the impetus behind the brand refresh?
A:To continue accelerating that record-breaking growth and momentum, we must deliver better in everything we do. We are Hungry for Better.
Innovation is at the core of 'Hungry for Better' — it means continually challenging ourselves and never being satisfied with the status quo, whether that's innovation around the product, experience or technology. But we don't innovate for the sake of innovation — we must remain centered around our purpose and anchored in our brand equity.
Q: Who's behind the work?
A: Su Mathews Hale Design, out of San Francisco, created the new logo. forpeople, based in London, built the visual identity system and partnered with Colophon Foundry to create the custom font. Big Red Rooster, a JLL Company, from Columbus, Ohio, developed the new restaurant design.
Q: Creating a new logo is a big task, and Papa Johns has a very recognizable logo. How did designers maintain the brand's identity while designing a whole new logo that's still identifiable?
A: While we wanted our logo to reflect the story of our growth, we made sure it remained true to the core of what got us where we are today, while also signaling our continued aspirations to improve and grow. We kept our signature red and green color palette, as well as the traditional shape of our previous logo; however, we gave the logo a modern and simplified look — one that signifies our aspirations to improve as a brand.
Q: How is the updated color palette representative of Papa Johns premium ingredients?
A: Our brand is still anchored in red and green, but we introduced new colors to inject more variety and fun into our visual appearance across different media. The colors portray our flavors and tastes in an eye-catching, appetizing way, through tangy tomato (red), fresh basil (green), fluffy dough (off white), punchy garlic (light purple) and pickled pepperoncini (bright yellow-green).
Q: The new restaurant design is streamlined and flexible. Tell us a little about the new seamless purchasing and pick-up experiences for the customer. It's contactless, correct?
A: Papa Johns customers were the number one priority in our restaurant refresh. We conducted exhaustive research to determine customer preference and found that customers want choice and control over their experience. With the new restaurant design, customers can easily grab their order without waiting in line, which reduces contact and reliance on menu boards, which customers told us are often too static, small or hard to read.
Q: What kind of testing went into the new redesign with customers and employees?
A: We invested a lot of time in identifying the wants and needs of our customers before developing a new restaurant design. Our new restaurant design will offer the wide range of fulfillment options that customers are looking for, including a carryout counter, drive-thru and pickup. We also made sure to create a space that would indulge the senses and elevate our brand beyond expected pizza aesthetics, which customers expressed could feel cold, sterile and busy.
Q: When will the new store design roll out? Are they already under construction?
A: Our development team has done a great job creating a thoughtful rollout that can address store updates through a tiered approach. We expect construction of restaurants implementing our new design to begin next year.
Q: Will franchisees have to remodel or will the redesign only affect newly constructed units?
A: We are working through the plans to retrofit existing restaurants in keeping with the new restaurant designs. We are in the process of drafting timelines and guidance for updating existing restaurants and will communicate more in the coming months.
Q: How was the newly redesigned store tested for maximum efficiency in the kitchen with these new modular stations?
A: Our overall design concept is an open floorplan restaurant that blends modern simplicity with the warmth of the experience that invites people to enjoy pizza. One of the goals for the redesign concept was to create a streamlined, flexible environment for team members to create quality food more efficiently.
The integration of modular stations will allow the same space to be used by team members for different products at different times, enabling overall efficiency.
Q: Did the pandemic play into the redesign?
A: Although this project started before the pandemic, the pandemic undeniably changed certain consumer behaviors — such as contactless delivery — so, the consumer experience was a key priority in the redesign. Another key aspect of the redesign is optionality; whether you walk-in, order ahead, drive-thru or curbside pickup, we provide streamlined options to meet all of our customers' needs.
Q: What's next for the company?
A: It really has been a remarkable few years for Papa Johns. We've all been reinvigorated by our recent success, but we know that there is still so much more room for growth — we are 'Hungry for Better.' Better has always been at the core of what Papa Johns stands for, and we are continuing that quest for better in everything we do — from our menu innovations to our company culture to our consumer experience and brand marketing. With a new, refreshed brand identity that truly embodies our core principles, we expect our momentum to not only continue, but accelerate, and that's really exciting for us.
About Mandy Wolf Detwiler
Mandy Wolf Detwiler is the managing editor at Networld Media Group and the site editor for PizzaMarketplace.com and QSRweb.com. She has more than 20 years’ experience covering food, people and places.
An award-winning print journalist, Mandy brings more than 20 years’ experience to Networld Media Group. She has spent nearly two decades covering the pizza industry, from independent pizzerias to multi-unit chains and every size business in between. Mandy has been featured on the Food Network and has won numerous awards for her coverage of the restaurant industry. She has an insatiable appetite for learning, and can tell you where to find the best slices in the country after spending 15 years traveling and eating pizza for a living.
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