Papa Johns Is Closing 300 Locations by 2027 - See if Yours Made the List
Papa Johns Is Closing 300 Locations by 2027 - See if Yours Made the List
Amanda MachadoWed, September 30, 2026 at 9:30 AM UTC
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Pizza is supposed to be fast, cheap, delicious, and delivered directly to your door. The further pizza chains get away from this winning formula, the harder it is for them to keep customers.
Papa Johns is the latest pizza chain to implement closures due to declining demand for their food. People are still eating pizza all the time, but as families have to try and make the most of a fast food budget, they are leaning away from expensive chains. Local pizzerias or frozen pizzas are becoming the go-to for the magical trifecta of bread, tomato sauce, and cheese.
Papa Johns has been closing underperforming restaurants as part of a broader restructuring, with 101 North American locations closed during the first half of 2026. Learn everything we know so far about the locations that may be impacted.
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When Papa Johns locations are closing
The pizza giant has committed to closing underperforming stores by the end of 2027, so the closures are going to be staggered over this year and next. The estimate is about 200 projected to shut down in 2026, with the rest following in 2027. Don't worry too much, though, as the brand still has many locations throughout the U.S.
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Where Papa Johns locations are closing
A specific list of closures has not yet been released. However, early in 2026, the current CFO Ravi Thanawala said the impacted restaurants are mostly franchisee-owned and have average volumes of less than $600,000. Streamlining location footprints is a common strategy when consumer spending is on the decline. In June, Chris Collins became Papa Johns' interim CFO and is continuing forward with the same plans.
How many Papa Johns may be left
Your local Papa Johns might be leaving, but the prominent pizza chain isn't going away just yet. You'll still be able to get your pizza fix from more than 3,000 locations nationwide.
There were approximately 3,500 restaurant locations at the end of 2025, so even with 300 locations shutting down, there are still going to be plenty of places left to get Papa Johns.
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Papa Johns sales performance
It's been a brutal couple of years for Papa Johns, and their fourth-quarter 2025 results reported a 5.4% decline in same-store sales. In 2026, Papa Johns reported a 6.4% decline in the first quarter and an 8.3% decline in the second quarter in North American comparable sales. The chain is also seeking savings elsewhere and expects cost savings of $13 million this year from areas outside of marketing.
What else is being cut
The menu also took a cut this year, with Papadias and Papa Bites phased out during the second quarter. The eliminations are anticipated to increase same-store sales and were chosen through productivity studies and feedback from both franchisees and customers.
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How Papa Johns compares to competitors
Papa Johns isn't the only pizza chain closing doors this year. Pizza Hut announced plans to close 250 underperforming U.S. locations in 2026. Meanwhile, its parent company, Yum Brands, completed the sale of Pizza Hut outside mainland China to private equity firm LongRange Capital for about $1.5 billion in September 2026. Domino's, on the other hand, reported a 3.7% increase in U.S. same-store sales in the fourth quarter of 2025. But the company reported 0.9% same-store sales growth in the first quarter of 2026.
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What this means for Papa Johns
The last time Papa Johns reported such sales weakness was in 2018 and 2019, which followed a public controversy about the chain's founder. This time, the pressures are largely from a struggling pizza and fast food market that is challenged by consumers cutting back on spending.
Papa Johns job losses
The exact amount of anticipated job losses from closings is unclear. However, Papa Johns cut its corporate workforce by about 7% as part of a reorganization designed to streamline the company and reduce non-consumer-facing spending.
What's next for Papa Johns
Papa Johns CEO, Todd Penegor, believes the company needs to compete more strongly on third-party delivery channels, such as Uber Eats and DoorDash. Papa Johns was one of the first major pizza chains to adopt aggregator apps, but now they are struggling to compete with all the other pizza options customers have.
Papa Johns introduced a new Pan Pizza in January 2026 and later added oven-toasted sandwiches as part of its broader menu transformation.
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Customer sentiment
Consumers have largely met the news with humor. "Oh no, not my $18 single topping pizza," says Redditor linklen2000. User SynthwaveSax commented, "Oh no, what will work order for the pizza party now? (Seriously why is it always Papa Johns?)."
Others were a little more forgiving, pointing out the math, "They have around 6,000 locations, 300 locations is 5% of their stores that are under performing, 95% are still running," commented Reddit user runs_with_airplanes.
It's clear the public isn't worried about the staying power of the Papa Johns brand, and some wish the company's decline would hurry along. "The only pizza you have to put butter on to make it edible," quipped Redditor JoeGideon.
Bottom line
Pizza isn't going anywhere, but who makes it could be changing rapidly in the coming years if consumers continue to struggle economically. In a financial landscape where folks have to dig out their best cash back credit cards to finance pizza night, sales are likely going to suffer until people have extra spending money in their pockets again.
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Source: “AOL Money”
