Papa John’s same-store sales continued to grow at a brisk pace through September as consumers ordered a lot of pizza delivery even as they ate out more often at other restaurants.
The Louisville, Ky.-based pizza chain’s same-store sales rose 23.8% in North America in the quarter ended Sept. 27, according to preliminary results released on Tuesday. The key metric slowed modestly in September to a still strong 18.4%.
That’s the sixth straight month of double-digit same-store sales for Papa John’s, which has benefited from a consumer that has shifted much of its dining to options perceived to be safer during a quarantine, including pizza delivery.
But Papa John’s is also benefiting from its own turnaround, thanks to a new sandwich product in Papadias and marketing campaigns featuring Shaquille O’Neal, a board member for the chain and a franchisee.
“We remain confident that our innovation pipeline, marketing and technology platform and strong operations will continue to support strong results during and after the pandemic,” CEO Rob Lynch said in a statement.
Same-store sales rose 20.6% in international locations in Papa John’s fiscal third quarter, the company said. Papa John’s said that all but 90 of its 2,100 international stores are open, with the closures primarily in Latin America and Europe. Almost all of its more than 3,100 U.S. locations are open.
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