digg

Join DiggAbout

Discover the best of the web!
Learn more about Digg by taking the tour.

See the original image at news.yahoo.com

Papa John's surpasses $1 billion in online pizza sales

news.yahoo.com — Sometimes during peak hours, the phones are silent in Andy Freitas' pizza restaurants, yet the cooks are busy keeping pace with hungry customers. That's because orders are rolling in through the Internet. "It's pretty amazing not to hear a phone ring on a busy night," said Freitas, an operating partner with the largest Papa John's franchisee in...

Bury
show profanity settings
expand all
  • motogoat, on 05/08/2008, -2/+54I'm not a huge fan of Papa John's pizza but their online ordering system was one of the first, it's easy to use and has been bug-free. More proof that the first one to bat gets the biggest hits. Dominos just recently launched their online ordering systerm and it's STILL not available where I live. Pizza Hut in the past 6 months just started to accept online orders and their ordering system isn't that good. Fortunately, some of the local shops beat most of the major players to the online ordering thing and theirs (2 in particular) are among the best out there in terms of usage and options.
    Good for Papa Johns for realizing that an online ordering system wasn't just a novelty, but a serious, legit addition to their business.
    • MaynardJK, on 05/08/2008, -0/+11I agree. I never used to get Papa John's until they started their online system. They pretty much stole all of my business from the other chains because of it.
    • CkMaverick, on 05/08/2008, -3/+5Actually I used to order online from Pizza Hut all the time over 5 years ago before I went off to college. They may have just started accepting them in your area, but they have had online ordering for quite sometime now, shortly after Papa John's started theirs.
      • thebza451, on 05/08/2008, -5/+12yeah but pizza hut is oily crap
        • ubuwalker31, on 05/08/2008, -3/+4And Papa John's isn't? I remember the days when you could get a pie for $4 from Papa John's...those pizzas were amazing! The garlic sauce was sinful and they included a whole handful of pepperchinos. But when they started to really franchise out, the pizza quality went downhill (soggy crust, too much cheese, only one pepper per pizza, $10 a pie). The last time I ordered a Papa John's pizza was about 5 years ago...we each had a piece and felt sick afterwards from all the grease. We swore off Papa John's after that and I now stick to actual Italian run pizza joints that have at least 1 or 2 Italian workers.
          • mpdid, on 05/09/2008, -3/+0P.S. your a pizza elitist
          • YoungDeezy, on 05/09/2008, -0/+5Too much cheese? No such thing.
          • ubuwalker31, on 05/09/2008, -0/+1@mpdid: I know. I am a NY pizza snob. Deal with it.
            @YoungDeezy: Well, too much poor quality cheese is really bad...especially since its really super oily.
        • mpdid, on 05/09/2008, -1/+0I make a monthly or bi-monthly trip to pizza hut dine in with my gf just because we LOVE that it is oily crap! We're not pizza snobs or elitists, we just like what we like! Our own oily personal pans and a couple beers is the perfect way to spend some time together :)
      • CkMaverick, on 05/08/2008, -0/+2I admit it wasn't the best but I liked their deep dish pizzas and their breadsticks were alright. That and I am a lazy bum and didn't feel like making a 20-30 minute round trip to get Papa John's since Pizza Hut were the only ones accepting online orders in my area at the time. It is always easier to order online because they have more coupons, you don't have to deal with any kids over the phone, you can just tailor your order to however you want it no explanations needed, and you can save the order and repeat it with one click anytime you feel like it in the future.
      • quarby, on 05/08/2008, -0/+1excellence
    • Akairenn, on 05/08/2008, -8/+4I'm trying to figure out what's so difficult about calling your local pizza joint and ordering delivery. I mean, I know it's not web 2.0 and such, but come on, people - are we that pathetic as a society that we no longer want any real human interaction at all? What's next? Are we going to get pizza slots in our doors, so we don't even have to face the deliveryman?

      'sides, while Papa John's might be the best nationalized chain of not-pizza, it's still the equivalent of eating dog food. Support your local Italian joint, where the ingredients actually are fresh, the English is barely comprehensible, and the pizza is a thing of such beautiful taste that it makes even the Gods themselves weep.
      • punkcat, on 05/08/2008, -1/+17what's next chatting online anonymously in message boards?
      • Tenareth, on 05/08/2008, -1/+9Because dealing with minimum wage earning kids with bad attitudes and inability to get an order right is not fun?
      • riyehn, on 05/08/2008, -0/+8Ordering pizza online is just so much easier than over the phone, especially with other people who have diverse tastes and limited cash. No more trying to figure out what the rep at the call centre is saying about the three-topping deal or whatever so you can ask your friends if they want that or the two extra-larges with one topping, or was that one extra-large with two toppings?

        It's just so much simpler having all your options right in front of you, plus you can sometimes pay online too.
      • sexybobo, on 05/08/2008, -0/+3The main reason I order online is because of the sales it lets you know all the items that are on sale and all the coupons you can use. I also have never gotten an order delivered wrong in the 3 years i have been buying pizza online something that happened a lot over the phone.
      • Woknblues, on 05/09/2008, -0/+4I like your idea for pizza slots in your door.
    • yohnstoppable, on 05/08/2008, -0/+2dominos and pizza hut have let you order online for at least a few years now.
    • inverselogic, on 05/09/2008, -0/+0Had a X-mas gift credit card sitting around, tried out papa john's and it was crazy fast, bug free, headache free , and got that pesky piece of plastic out of my wallet ;).
  • JimboLimbo, on 05/08/2008, -11/+2i love father john's
    • andrewthrice, on 05/08/2008, -1/+1i love father ted
    • sockpuppets, on 05/08/2008, -3/+6When I was a child in Soviet Russia father john loved me.
    • goldenratiophi, on 05/08/2008, -1/+2insert joke about priests molesting children here
  • logicalnoise, on 05/08/2008, -6/+20best fast food pizza around. However being in Chicago means it should rarely be an option.
    • mywhitenoise, on 05/08/2008, -10/+8Papa Johns is one of the most disgusting pizza's I've ever eaten, probably more disgusting than the ones they sell at Costco. Tomato sauce shouldn't taste like candy.
      • logicalnoise, on 05/08/2008, -2/+3the garlic sauce negates any bad taste.
      • sexybobo, on 05/08/2008, -1/+6Costco's and sams club have great pizzas. You just like a different type of pizza i like the sweeter sauces.
      • mpdid, on 05/09/2008, -0/+0I would love to try a real Chicago pizza, we got out own little independant run stores here in Canada and they're great, but I mean just the experience... or a New York slice, I mean even the experience of being in those places and having their fabled pizza is awesome even if its not much different from home.
    • punkcat, on 05/08/2008, -5/+3love papa johns YUM!
      • punkcat, on 05/09/2008, -1/+1sorry i just ordered some online after reading this, papa johns sux.
        i dunno what happened, but years ago it was fantastic pizza.
        • mpdid, on 05/09/2008, -2/+0Sorry I dugg you down, I have nothing against your comment, I'm just on a roll. (never had Papa John's)
  • suzywang3000, on 05/08/2008, -13/+12america truly is the land of opportunity... even a retarded man can start a billion dollar business.
    • mikesbaker, on 05/08/2008, -3/+9i only skimmed that story did I miss something? retarded?
    • HypocriteDigg, on 05/08/2008, -3/+3How's you're adult sex shop going?
      • TheGuruStud, on 05/09/2008, -0/+3he keeps using all the products on himself
    • tylerkuite, on 05/09/2008, -0/+1or be president
  • failedpimp, on 05/08/2008, -2/+36If only I could get the pizza delivered to me by email.
    • PangYu, on 05/09/2008, -0/+11I bet if there was a way to order the pizza while playing WoW they would be at 2 billion.
      • mpdid, on 05/09/2008, -0/+0Doesn't Everquest 2 have some deal with a pizza company where u can order pizza by using /slash commands?!
  • doctechnical, on 05/08/2008, -0/+6I guess with those profits they can afford the $0.23 pizzas in Ohio today:
    http://www.wkyc.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid ...
    Man, is that screwing up traffic!
    • SpeakerCity, on 05/08/2008, -0/+6Damn, that article was more interesting than the one about online ordering.
    • inhaler, on 05/08/2008, -0/+2Yeah, there was a line about a block long down near the one by my house.
    • The_Dude, on 05/09/2008, -1/+1Yeah, well the c o c k smokers closed their stores and put up signs saying "out of pizza", which could be true, but still. I'm thinking of trying to get the proverbial rain check, or else I'll make a stink. (at least threaten to). Here in Columbus, I went to a local store around 5:30 and the cars just kept coming. It's in a slightly dodgey part of town, so there was at least one police car there to prevent any discontent.

      Oh and someone at work said the website said they were closed for any online orders as early as 1 or 2 pm.

      Thing that ***** me off is there was some woman with a couple kids in the lobby with a pizza out in the open, and yet the door was locked with the sign on it.
      • persecutor, on 05/09/2008, -2/+0Is it really that important to get some white flour, cheap pasteurized cheese, and corn syrup laden tomato sauce for .23 cents today?
      • mpdid, on 05/09/2008, -0/+0If they're done, they're done. They don't owe you the .23c pizza, I imagine supplies were limited. Should have got their earlier. Better call the BBB.
    • IAmTheGuy, on 05/09/2008, -0/+3Pap John's 23 cent pizza was excellent. While it gave the homeless their first filling meal in a long while, it also boosted sales of other pizza joints. I know this because I work at Pizza Hut. While we normally pull in about $800 of sales each weekday, we pulled in over $4000 on May 8. It's a very interesting effect because everyone imagined all non-Papa Johns pizza places would be mind-bogglingly slow. I can think of 2 theories as to why pizza sales were heavily boosted that day. One is that people promised to get pizza, then when they noticed they had to wait in line for a couple hours for Papa Johns, they decided to go somewhere else. Or the second theory is that this craze put pizza on the mind of just about everyone and once they saw how long it would take for Papa Johns, they decided on another pizza.
    • shwerm601, on 05/09/2008, -0/+1i think its a bit of both... columbus was crazy every papa johns was packed, ashame the pizza sucks but my gf likes it so whatever i had a slice or two lol maybe 3
    • whisperedlie, on 05/09/2008, -0/+1there's a papa johns in the strip mall next to my apartment. when i got up to go to work, there was a tangled mass of people and cars, and folks were just wandering around. i thought one of the buildings burned or a i missed a big shootout or something. as i tried to push through traffic to go to work, i passed the papa johns and it had the longest line of people i've seen in quite some time, complete with about 4 cops directing traffic and keeping people civil.

      people go CRAZY for free/almost free *****.
  • jedmed, on 05/08/2008, -5/+4They used to be great. Now it's frozen Freschetta.
    • bonds, on 05/08/2008, -0/+1Remember Freschetta sauce stuffed crust? That ***** was ***** delectable.
  • schroeder, on 05/08/2008, -1/+12I just wish I didn't have to create an account just to see the goddamned menu.
    • mikesbaker, on 05/08/2008, -1/+2all you have to do is put in your address and zip code. the specials are different in different parts of the company and between the franchises. therefore no log in needed just an address
      • schroeder, on 05/08/2008, -0/+1I stand corrected. I think I was thinking of Dominos.
  • lisaawesome, on 05/08/2008, -1/+2My friend told me Domino's now sends text messages to tell you when your pizza is being cooked and then when it is being delivered. Too bad I don't like Domino's and no one delivers out here in the boonies anyway.
  • CkMaverick, on 05/08/2008, -2/+24If only they delivered in my area... could have been $1,000,000,020...
    • darkhero, on 05/09/2008, -4/+2you fat pig.
      • DephexTwin, on 05/09/2008, -0/+6Uh, I don't think he meant an *additional* 1,000,000,020......
  • Bkaufman, on 05/08/2008, -21/+5Really, how lazy do you have to be to pick up a phone and call for a pizza? Man, sometimes I wonder how people can even function on a daily basis.
    • sockpuppets, on 05/08/2008, -0/+18You could have called and told me that.
    • mrjit, on 05/08/2008, -0/+33Why in the hell would I pick up a phone, sit on hold, ask about order options, wait for an order to be entered into the PoS system - possibly entered incorrectly - when I can have a menu in front of me, where I pick quantity, see my price, and input my payment information all at once? Welcome to 2008, gramps.
      • sexybobo, on 05/08/2008, -0/+4Best part most pizza huts now have call centers that take the order and enter it in to a similar website and then send it to the store
        • mpdid, on 05/09/2008, -0/+0ONLINE ORDERING: THE WAVE OF THE FUTURE. Being inputted incorrectly by a call center agent near you.
    • paikE, on 05/08/2008, -0/+7What an arrogant thing to say. Just because its more convenient to order online doesn't make it lazy.
    • Lyph5, on 05/08/2008, -0/+15You can see a full menu on the website, and it gives you a chance to really think about what you want. I know we've all felt the panic that comes when you hear someone answer the phone. I always forget my order for like 2-4 seconds. :(
      • mpdid, on 05/09/2008, -0/+0Plus you don't want to be 'that guy' who when is asked what toppings starts asking everybody in the room what toppings they want while the person on the phone is writing a note on the food chit for it to be spermed on.
    • jongam, on 05/08/2008, -2/+4./pizza_party --green-peppers --extra-cheese --pepperoni large regular
    • HypocriteDigg, on 05/08/2008, -1/+2Nerds don't like to talk to people.
      • jpete71chevmal, on 05/08/2008, -0/+4I'm no nerd, I just don't want to talk to the half illiterate minimum wage slave they have answering the phone.
  • Lunarbunny, on 05/08/2008, -1/+8/pizza
  • dizilbdog, on 05/08/2008, -12/+9If only there Pizza was good
    • Eddiecoaster, on 05/08/2008, -5/+4i had it once, it really did suck ass.
    • TROY7, on 05/08/2008, -4/+4Couldn't agree with you more here...
    • TimDigg, on 05/08/2008, -1/+10their...
    • neorser, on 05/08/2008, -5/+2If only your grammar was good.
      • DephexTwin, on 05/09/2008, -0/+6You should have used the subjunctive: "were good".
    • yohnstoppable, on 05/08/2008, -1/+5It's all about the garlic sauce. Seriously, theirs is the best. Man, I'm commenting online about garlic butter dipping sauce. I need to go on a diet :(
    • futebollounge, on 05/09/2008, -1/+2before i started working at papa johns i was never a fan but now i must say their specialty pizzas are insanely good. the chicken bbq, chicken bacon ranch, spinach alfredo chicken tomato. MMM try any of those they will blow your mind.
  • andrewthrice, on 05/08/2008, -1/+2And today, they're making a whopping 23 cents off me...too bad you have to wait 3 hours in line. More here:
    http://slice.seriouseats.com/archives/2008/05/papa ...
    • strictnein, on 05/08/2008, -0/+5Man. People are strange. I value my time just a little too much to wait an hour in line, let alone three hours, for a fricken pizza.

      I swear, if you took a crap and stuck a "FREE!" sticker on it, people would break down your door to get at it.
  • Dumbledorito, on 05/08/2008, -1/+4Pizza Hut's ordering system is complete crap. It would be nice if it had a popup before you placed your order letting you know that it would be in excess of 3 hours before you got your stone-cold pizza.
    • sexybobo, on 05/08/2008, -1/+2Not really the ordering systems fault your local pizza hut is backed up and will take 3 hours to get you your food it would take the same time to be delivered if you ordered over the phone and if you don't like pizza hut pizza why are you ordering it?
      • Dumbledorito, on 05/09/2008, -0/+1Pizza Hut pizza is fine. Cold pizza isn't.

        And the issue is that the website doesn't inform you how long it will take until they've taken your order, credit card and all. There is no "before clciking 'yes,' be aware that your dog may die of old age before we send a vehicle out to your house."
        • efitz11, on 05/09/2008, -0/+1in pizza hut's defense, their hand tossed pizza is the best reheatable pizza of the 3 chains lol
  • crazyjake, on 05/08/2008, -0/+3i wish they delivered to Germany!! i miss being back in the states, it really is the land of convenience! not to mention most people speak english.
    • DephexTwin, on 05/09/2008, -0/+2"not to mention most people speak english."

      That part doesn't sound different from Germany.
  • mdavis, on 05/08/2008, -8/+4Zachary's > Papa Johns
  • DannySpace, on 05/08/2008, -0/+2That should warrant a free pizza coupon for those who helped them get there....right?

  • SpeakerCity, on 05/08/2008, -0/+2Mmmmmmmmm...Pizza
    ::Drool::
  • pyronik, on 05/08/2008, -1/+1they can easily take my payment, but it still took them 3 hours to deliver my pizza.... when they told me they credited my account for a free pizza... i call.. and guess what... they actually do that

    Good pizza but ***** em'
  • TwwIX, on 05/08/2008, -1/+9***** Franchise Pizzerias!
  • nickaster, on 05/08/2008, -7/+3Worst pizza you can buy. A second rate chain. Buried!
    • DephexTwin, on 05/09/2008, -1/+1Really? I'll sell you a worse pizza.
  • IHaveCrayons, on 05/08/2008, -6/+4Papa John's has the worst pizza out of Pizza Hut, Domino's... any others I can't think of. Their bread is dry and bland.
    • tylerkuite, on 05/09/2008, -0/+0Little Caesars all the way
    • efitz11, on 05/09/2008, -0/+1dominos is vastly inferior to papa johns, which is a little worse than pizza hut. dominos is like eating cardboard covered in cheese
  • soot, on 05/08/2008, -3/+1/pizza
  • grason1129, on 05/08/2008, -2/+6online pizza ordering is a stoners best friend!
  • djdingo, on 05/08/2008, -0/+4Death to the telephone!

    Long live the interwebs!
  • EserVerx, on 05/08/2008, -4/+5BBQ Chicken pizza, end of discussion. BEST kind of pizza you will ever taste in your life!
    • TdiFFRob6876, on 05/09/2008, -1/+1Worst Pizza ever made what is wrong with you. Papa Johns has the ***** Grilled Chicken everything else is great, but No not the Grilled Chicken and BBQ sauce is not meant to be on pizza dough.
    • futebollounge, on 05/09/2008, -1/+1before working there i never liked the pizza but now i try new kinds everyday and the bbq chicken is amazing!!
    • YourTechSupport, on 05/09/2008, -0/+1BBQ Chicken + Bacon = MMHMMM. Okay, so I can't always tell what the ***** is under the cheese, but it's good.
      Taste is taste is taste.
  • nightsky07, on 05/08/2008, -1/+2I work at Papa Johns and I love the online ordering. It keeps me from answering the phone at work which is a pain. Before I worked there, I always used the online ordering system. Never had a problem.
  • cmedley, on 05/08/2008, -1/+2I think Papa John's owes much of their success to Tim and Eric Nite Live.
    • TdiFFRob6876, on 05/09/2008, -1/+2Papa John's owes much of their success to hard core Dallas Cowboy fans guy/buddy/friend. (Feel free to choose one)
  • vikki77, on 05/08/2008, -1/+4I'm not surprised they don't have as many phone orders. Why would I want to call for a pizza when they're going to put me on hold for at least 5 minutes before they even take my order? Usually the person taking the order can't speak English well enough to take it correctly anyway.
  • spilk, on 05/08/2008, -3/+1I refuse to go to papa john's ever since many years ago i saw a huge semi delivering pre-made dough to a franchise. What happened to restaurants that actually make their own food? I'll stick to the local joints that make good new york style pies at far less than papa john's prices.
    • petebert, on 05/09/2008, -0/+1so before this you thought the chain conveyor belt pizza places made their own dough?
  • speedk0re, on 05/08/2008, -1/+5let's all give props to Papa Johns for recognizing the millions of stoned, high teenagers that need pizza, but are afraid to pick up the telephone and (gasp) TALK TO SOMEONE
  • WhoDoneIt, on 05/09/2008, -2/+0I wonder if I could order a zaa from my Wii online while I play Wii Fit?
  • RobbieF, on 05/09/2008, -0/+1Could it be due to the fact that the "pizza" is FREAKIN EXPENSIVE for what you get??
  • Brentley_11, on 05/09/2008, -0/+1Pizza 73 (A western Canadian company) has had online ordering for a long long time. (1995 according to wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pizza_73 ). I wonder how many online sales they have made.
    • BradBrown, on 05/09/2008, -0/+1I'd say $0. It's hard to find the pizza oven when you're stoned, much less your intraweb connection. I say this from the voice of experience.
  • DigitAl56K, on 05/09/2008, -1/+1I've been using their online service and tracking how often they mess up the order (wrong soda, wrong treat, wrong toppings, etc.). They mess something up approximately 20% of the time for my orders.

    Also, depending on how you make up pizza's on their website, it will cost you less to customize an existing pizza than to make your own that turns out exactly the same - huh? They also send you coupon codes regularly but they never seem to be applicable to their menu selections, e.g. you get a coupon for a 3 topping pizza, but you can't use it with their pre-created selections.

    I'm not too impressed so far.
    • JohnboiWaltune, on 05/09/2008, -0/+1Is this Comic Book Guy from the Simpsons? ;)
  • EtherGnat, on 05/09/2008, -0/+1Money saving tip: Check the Official Papa John's coupon thread at FatWallet.com before you order. There's usually some good to great online coupons available. http://www.fatwallet.com/forums/topic.php?catid=18 ...
  • TheMu, on 05/09/2008, -1/+1Holy *****, faster than Netflix. O_o
  • ProjectGSX, on 05/09/2008, -0/+1The pizza is pretty crappy, but I still order it from time to time.. the convenience of ordering online without having to talk to someone or wait on hold is pretty nice.
  • allfatherblack, on 05/09/2008, -1/+2what the hell is this *****. im without internet for a week and digg turns retarded? First this then the plastic bag blocking the google cam? What the hell is wrong with you people?
  • jschnees, on 05/09/2008, -0/+1All the Papa Johns in Columbus, Ohio Closed early at 5pm today because of this.
  • tylerkuite, on 05/09/2008, -0/+0Screw that, just get a hot-n-ready, with crazy bread and sauce, and a delicious beverage
    its all about Little Caesars, Papa Johns sucks
  • knowitman, on 05/09/2008, -0/+2Out of the pizza chains, Papa Johns happens to be my favorite. It is also convenient that I go to school in Louisville, and they are easy to find.
  • Barackalypse, on 05/09/2008, -0/+0I wonder what sort of cost savings Papa Johns enjoys from these web based orders. I don't know if they have dedicated order takers or if they're pulling people from making the pizzas to take the calls, but certainly this has to result in some cost savings for them.
  • joe361, on 05/09/2008, -0/+3Who eats this ***** pizza?
  • bloodmoney, on 05/09/2008, -0/+1More proof that the avergage American is an undiscerning idiot
  • opnotic, on 05/09/2008, -0/+1Grrrr.. and they *still* don't deliver to Park Ave in Minneapolis. I'm surrounded by Papa Johns (and I love the pizza from what I remember 2 years ago)--- but they think my neighborhood is "dirty". =/ (really)
  • greatgatsbyII, on 05/09/2008, -0/+1I didn't know you could order pizza by phone.
  • kkeith02, on 05/09/2008, -0/+1In other news, Papa John's $1 billion in sales was "eaten" up by $.23 pizzas
  • colin8651, on 05/09/2008, -0/+1Sandra Bullock did it in 1995 and it is only now getting popular. What is Papa John's doing differently?
  • Fetching more discussions...
    Show 51 - 54 of 54 discussions
  •  

    Login or register to add a comment

    Create a new account or login to join in the conversation on Digg. You'll also be able to Digg stories to help promote things you like.


© Digg Inc. 2008 — Content posted by Digg users is dedicated to the public domain.
DIGG, DIGG IT, DUGG, DIGG THIS, Digg graphics, logos, designs, page headers, button icons, scripts, and other service names are the trademarks of Digg Inc.