Pinoy tourists' favorite Papa John's Pizza soon in RP

MANILA, Philippines - Filipinos who return from their travels abroad inevitably share memories of meals they enjoyed in their journeys. These meals, partaken with loved ones and friends, become part of whatever fondness and emotional connection Filipinos have with certain places — even President Aquino showed this when he relished, in his recent New York visit, the hotdogs he once enjoyed during his family’s stay in Boston.

Likewise, Filipinos who have stayed in the United States, Europe, the Middle East, China and other Asian countries all love to share fond memories of the great experience they have at Papa John’s Pizza — consistently the top US consumer choice.

Soon, tourists who visit the Philippines will have their own fond memories to share once Papa John’s Pizza stores open here as well. Papa John’s Pizza, which is founded on the “Better Ingredients, Better Pizza” philosophy, is opening several outlets in the Philippines.

Papa John’s is the third largest pizza chain in the world with more than 3,500 restaurants in the US, Europe, the Middle East and Asia. For more than 25 years, it has grown steadily by delivering on its commitment to offer its customers “Better Ingredients, Better Pizza.”

Papa John’s International Inc. and Berjaya Pizza Philippines have sealed a deal to bring to the Philippine market pizzas from Papa John’s this year. Filipinos, who are great pizza lovers, will surely appreciate and enjoy Papa John’s pizzas that are renowned for using high-protein flour, cheese made from 100 percent mozzarella, real meat toppings, and other high-quality ingredients.

Customer satisfaction

“The key to Papa John’s success is based on the focus on quality, especially in using superior quality ingredients, and total customer experience. We are consistently delivering on our ‘Better Ingredients, Better Pizza’ brand promise. A satisfied customer is a loyal customer, so we measure just about every aspect of the customer experience to make sure we are meeting the high standards our customers demand,” says Myles Felt, vice president international for Asia and the Middle East of Papa John’s International.

Papa John’s will open outlets in major malls in Metro Manila and near residential and commercial business districts to cater to the delivery service segment. Now that Papa John’s is opening stores in the Philippines, even more Filipinos will enjoy highest standards in pizza dining and customer service.

Dato Francis Lee, chairman of Berjaya Pizza Philippines and executive director of Berjaya Pizza Malaysia, also promises that Papa John’s will create good memories and thrills for Filipinos, whether they dine at a Papa John’s outlet or call in for pizza delivery.

“The warm and welcoming store interiors, to the friendly and efficient service of our team members (Papa John’s service staff) and most of all, our commitment to our ‘Better Ingredients, Better Pizza’ promise, will set the new standards for superior quality pizzas in the Philippines,” says Lee.

Lee adds that Filipinos can expect the menu to offer not only Papa John’s signature pizzas like the best-selling “Super Papa’s,” “All the Meats,” and “Pepperoni,” there will also be pasta dishes, baked rice and other signature side items like cheesesticks and breadsticks, chicken wings, and chicken strips.

In addition, Papa John’s pizzas will be served with the Papa John’s signature garlic dipping sauce and pepperoncinis on the side. The menu items will cater to all age groups throughout the day and provide a comprehensive selection for families, friends and co-workers to enjoy.

Papa John’s has consistently been rated No. 1 in customer satisfaction among all national pizza chains in the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI).  

Restaurants & Institutions Magazine (R&I) honored Papa John’s with the 2009 Gold Award for Consumers’ Choice in Chains in the pizza segment. Papa John’s is the official pizza sponsor of the National Football League and Super Bowl XLV, XLVI and XLVII.

International brand

Representatives of both companies gathered to make an official announcement of the appointment of Berjaya Pizza Philippines Inc. as official franchisee of Papa John’s International in the Philippines. The announcement was made before selected members of the press at a luncheon last Sept. 6 at the Makati Shangri-La Hotel. 

Present at the media briefing were Lee; Felt; Paul Soo, president of Berjaya Pizza Philippines; and Bobby Ocampo, managing director of Berjaya Pizza Philippines.

Also present were Ganesh Kumar of Money Online Malaysia; Berjaya Philippines directors Lim Meng Kwong; Jimmy Soo and Tan Bee Hwa; and Bill Schulz, president of Coca-Cola Philippines.

During the event, Felt and Lee gave the press a preview of what Filipino diners may expect once Papa John’s stores open in the Philippines.

“The Philippine food service market has showed increasing growth in the past five years as shown by the increase in the number of stores of the QSR chains, both domestic and foreign. There has also been an increasing consumption in the food delivery service business. We are confident that these trends will continue to grow, creating the right conditions for a well-known international brand like Papa John’s to enter the Philippine market,” says Lee.

So what “better ingredients” go into a Papa John’s pizza that makes it the top US consumer choice? To find out, celebrities teamed up with members of the media during the press conference, to play the “Find the Better Ingredients, Make the Better Pizza Game.” Celebrity players included Miss International 2005 Lara Quigaman, Miss Earth Air 2009 Sandra Seifert; and hunky model-actors Jon Avila and Marco Alcaraz.

Papa John’s is the third largest pizza chain in the world. It was established in 1984 by John Schnatter and quickly gained a loyal following for its commitment to quality.

Papa John’s International is headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky.