A refreshing branding effort launched by the popular pizza chain formerly known as “Papa John’s” has provided loyal and new customers with good reasons to come back for more. Now referred to as “Papa Johns,” dropping the apostrophe from the original name reflects the company’s efforts to distance itself from its former founder, John Schnatter, and move in a new direction. So far, it’s been paying off.
The company’s big changes in management have led to numerous transitions, many of them spearheaded by the new Papa Johns CEO Rob Lynch, who became the new CEO in 2019. Revamped imaging, new menu items and service improvements have helped grow the company’s bottom line. However, customers accept that it’s time to move on from the founder’s vision, and the company’s sales volumes have since taken off.
New Brand? New Name!
The Papa Johns branding overhaul includes a new and strengthened commitment to employees. Dropping the apostrophe symbolizes the company’s new identity. Without the possessive use of the apostrophe in “John’s” to refer to a specific individual, the new logo demonstrates the company’s commitment to a top-to-bottom workforce culture operating as an all-inclusive team.
Team members and franchise owners can also feel comfortable servicing diverse customers in their unique communities. By posting the five core values of Papa Johns on its website, corporate reports and promotional materials, both customers and shareholders can learn how the company encourages their employees to stay on brand:
- Everyone Belongs
- Do the Right Thing
- People First
- Innovate To Win
- Have Fun
Big Changes in Management Mean Big Changes to the Name
The new face of Papa Johns, CEO Rob Lynch, has a background in restaurant chain management that’s hard to rival. Under his guidance, the company is now positioned within significantly changed supply and distribution channels than those its founder promoted. As a result, Papa Johns expects to continue growing its market share with premium ingredients and innovative food products. The company’s five core values will guide the pizza restaurant chain’s expansion. The name change is intended to demonstrate the direction those core values take the company.
The company’s primary core value, Everyone Belongs, promotes diversity and teamwork. The core value exemplifies the concept that everyone is welcome at Papa Johns and everyone belongs. In addition, the company’s name change symbolizes a dedication to fairness and inclusion.
The second core value, Do the Right Thing, demonstrates a promise to conduct business with integrity and character. Finally, by dropping the previous possessive sense of “John’s,” the new name illustrates the third core value of People First.
Final Thoughts:
The fourth Papa Johns core value, Innovate To Win, encourages teammates to think differently and lead through change. Finally, the fifth core value, Have Fun, is simple and to the point; as noted on its website, “It’s pizza, it has to be fun!” Papa Johns encourages employees to have fun while serving their communities.
There’s plenty of room to expand the company’s customer base. With innovative pizza toppings, Papadias flatbread sandwiches and a revamped attitude, Papa Johns is attracting a growing and diverse range of premium food fans. They even just introduced their first-ever New York Style Pizza, which you can order today.
