Papa John's Unveils Baconmania With Three New Bacon-Heavy Menu Items

The theory that everything tastes better with bacon added to the ingredients mix was reaffirmed by Papa John’s International, Inc. PZZA for its new limited-edition BaconMania menu items.

What Happened: The company has unveiled three new dishes that lay on the bacon: Triple Bacon Pizza topped with smoky crumbled bacon, julienne-cut Canadian bacon and real smoked bacon strips; the flatbread-style Smoky Bacon Parmesan Crusted Papadia with julienne-cut Canadian bacon, fresh onions and sliced smoked bacon strips, covered with a creamy ranch sauce; and Bacon Jalapeño Popper Rolls featuring hickory-smoked bacon and jalapeños atop of dough filled with Philadelphia-brand cream cheese.

Papa Rewards members can get an exclusive first taste of BaconMania at select locations beginning on Oct. 18, with a nationwide rollout slated for Oct. 25. The BaconMania items will be available through Dec. 27.

Related Link: Hormel In New Partnership For Developing Plant-Based Foods

What Else Is Happening: Scott Rodriguez, Papa John’s senior vice president of menu strategy and product innovation, announced the new items by declaring, “Bacon is such a delicious and savory ingredient that instantly makes the food we love more fun, so we are excited to introduce innovative bacon products that bring an extra layer of satisfaction to moments perfect for pizza.”

For investors, an extra layer of satisfaction was evident in the company’s second-quarter earnings data published in August.

“Papa John’s delivered an eighth consecutive quarter of growth, with system-wide sales up 12% in Q2,” said President and CEO Rob Lynch in announcing total company revenues of $515 million, an 11.8% year-over-year spike.

“We extended the record sales results we achieved a year ago, sustaining our industry outperformance as markets continue reopening,” Lynch added, noting the company saw “a record 123 net unit openings in the first half of 2021.”

PZZA Price Action: At last check Monday morning, Papa John’s was trading up 1.23% at $123.44; its 52-week range is between $73.12 and $132.37.