Pizza lovers don’t seem bowled over by this idea. Papa Johns
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recently revealed plans to dish out a crustless menu item that bakes its meats, veggies, tomato sauce and melted cheese in a bowl — called “Papa Bowls” — that come in three flavors: the Italian Meats Trio, Chicken Alfredo and Garden Veggie. Or, customers can create their own bowls using Papa Johns ingredients.
“We are very excited to offer Papa Bowls as a new menu category and as a new way consumers can experience our premium ingredients,” said Scott Rodriguez, Papa Johns senior vice president of menu strategy and product innovation, in a press release. “Our signature crust continues to be a beloved favorite, but we know that sometimes customers crave something different.” But some potential customers aren’t biting this deconstructed pizza concept — especially after CNN tweeted that Papa Johns is cutting out the crust to “get people excited about pizza again.” Read more: Who needs pepperoni? Pineapple is becoming the trendy pizza topping This led “Papa John” to trend on Twitter
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on Wednesday afternoon, with one of the most common responses being that folks never stopped being excited about pizza — but some of them have lost their taste for Papa Johns pizza. Indeed, pizza is an $8.1 billion market in the U.S., according to Mintel, and the COVID-19 pandemic has made easy, affordable comfort food available for delivery on demand — like pizza — even more popular.
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