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Papa John's makes play for mid-day with piadina-esque debut

Papa John's new Papadias (photo provided).

January 31, 2020

As QSRs clamor over breakfast, maybe the next big battlefront for pizza will be lunch. At least Papa John's is hoping its customers will be moving in that direction with the Louisville-based brand's announcement today that it is taking a concerted crack at lunch business with the introduction of its Papadias sandwiches that use pizza dough kind of as the bread to envelop a number of different fillings that it serves with pepperoncini and a choice of sauces, the company said in a news release. 

If you detected a similarity with the the name of the Northern Italian-born folded flatbread sandwich known as a piadina, that's not mistake, according to Papa John's Senior Vice President of Product Innovation Paul Fabre, who said it inspired the offering. 

"The Papadia is great for people on the go who are looking to mix up their traditional lunch routine," he said in the release.

The newly introduced lunch enticement for mid-day diners comes in four varieties that the brand said are each handfolded to order, including: 

• Italian with Alfredo sauce, sausage, salami, mozzarella and banana peppers with pizza sauce.
• Philly Cheesesteak with the namesake steak, onions, green peppers, mozzarella and Philly sauce, served with garlic sauce. 
• Grilled BBQ Chicken & Bacon with grilled chicken, bacon, onions, mozzarella with barbecue sauce, served with a cup of the same for dipping. 
• Meatball Pepperoni with spicy meatballs, pepperoni, pizza sauce, mozzarella and Italian seasoning, with pizza dipping sauce. 

The sandwiches are priced at $6 each, and will be available starting Monday during all operational hours.