Pizza chain to close stores after sales slump – 3,487 sites across the country | US | News
An American pizza chain has closed dozens of restaurants across the US, just months after announcing the closure of hundreds of its restaurants this year.
Papa Johns International, which offers pizza delivery and takeout, has closed locations in 17 US states so far this year. The company had 3,487 facilities in North America as of the end of March, the vast majority of which operate under franchise agreements.
In February, the company announced it would close up to 300 locations by the end of 2027, with two-thirds of those closures expected to occur this year.
Papa Johns has been struggling with declining sales for a variety of reasons, including a shift in consumer preferences away from pizza, rising operating costs and an increasingly cost-conscious dining audience.
Rival Pizza Hut has similarly closed a number of its restaurants; It was reported that parent company Yum Brands is considering the sale of the chain.
Papa Johns has been struggling with declining sales for a variety of reasons, including a shift in consumer preferences away from pizza, rising operating costs and an increasingly cost-conscious dining audience.
Rival Pizza Hut has similarly closed a number of its restaurants; It was reported that parent company Yum Brands is considering the sale of the chain.
Papa Johns recorded a 2% decline in North American same-store sales according to its 2025 annual report, while North American same-store sales fell another 6.4% in the first quarter of this year, according to Fast Company.
Shares of Papa Johns International are down nearly 21% year-to-date, in stark contrast to the S&P 500, which is up nearly 8% in the same period.
Over the last five years, the pizza chain’s stock price has fallen by almost 70%.
More than 40 Papa Johns locations appear to have closed their doors so far this year, according to Fast Company’s report. Papa Johns locations are closed in the following US states:
- Alabama – single location
- Arizona – four locations
- California – five locations
- Colorado – single location
- Florida – five locations
- Georgia – single location
- Illinois – single location
- Michigan – two locations
- Missouri – single location
- North Carolina – three locations
- New York – single location
- Ohio – single location
- Oklahoma – single location
- South Carolina – single location
- Texas – 12 locations
- Virginia – two locations
- Wisconsin – single location
Papa Johns has yet to announce which branches will close as part of its overhaul strategy and has remained tight-lipped about the number of jobs that could be at risk.
