New Middleby ovens key to Papa John's 10-minute pizza guarantee

LOUISVILLE, Ky.—Papa John's announced it has exclusive rights to purchase the new Middleby Marshall 770 WOW! Oven, which it claims slashes pizza-baking times by 30 percent.

According to a news release, the 770 will play an essential roll in Papa John's new 10-minute carryout pizza guarantee by reducing pizza bake time from six-and-a-half minutes to four-and-a-half.

In addition to speedier bake times, the 770 reduces energy consumption by 25 percent compared to the most energy-efficient models in the industry. The oven also is connected directly to Papa John's proprietary POS system, which allows the oven to monitor the pace of orders and adjust energy output accordingly.

In an agreement with Elgin, Ill.-based Middleby Corporation, Papa John's has the exclusive right through 2008 to purchase the patented oven and has committed to the purchase of 1,500 or more by the end of that time. The company expects the 770 will be installed, usually two per restaurant, in all 500-plus company-owned domestic Papa John's restaurants by mid-2007 and an additional 250 or more in franchised or company-owned outlets through 2008.

"Papa John's challenged Middleby Marshall to develop an oven that helps us continue to enhance customer service, in terms of delivering a quality pizza under ever-increasing tight time constraints," said Tim O'Hern, Papa John's senior vice president of development. "With energy costs continuing to increase, we also challenged them to produce a smart, environmentally friendly oven that would use less energy during low production times. With the new 770 WOW! Oven, Middleby certainly delivered on our requests."