"We’ll raise the number to 30 restaurants in two years"
Papa John’s opened four restaurants in Bengaluru as the American pizza giant returns to India, eight years after leaving the market.
The UAE-based PJP Investments Group and investment firm Pulsar Capital are joint master franchisees for Papa John’s in India.
Together, they plan to open 650 restaurants across the country over the next decade. All outlets will be company-owned and operated, targeting India’s fast-growing eating-out market.
Group CEO Tapan Vaidya said: “Three more restaurants are slated for launch before the end of the current calendar year in Bengaluru.
“We’ll raise the number to 30 restaurants in two years before we expand to cities such as Chennai and Hyderabad. We’ll move to the north thereafter.”
The four dine-in restaurants in Bengaluru are located in Indiranagar, Sarjapur Road, Electronic City, and Hennur.
These branches will act as flagship sites to increase brand awareness. Smaller takeaway-only outlets will follow.
The rollout will continue across Bengaluru within two years before expanding to other major cities.
Papa John’s exit from India in 2017 was attributed to operational and franchisee challenges.
Mr Vaidya said the company’s return has been “almost two years in the making”, adding that the partners have “carefully planned their strategy to focus on one city at a time, prioritise quality ingredients, and deliver a fresh baking experience”.
Papa John’s is pricing its pizzas between Rs 149 and Rs 799, positioning itself as a premium option that focuses on ingredient quality.
This puts it above competitors like Domino’s, which sells pizzas from as low as Rs 49 and dominates the lower price segment.
The menu has been adapted for Indian customers, including a ghee roast pizza and tandoori sauce bases.
Mr Vaidya continued: “The split will be one-third for our global best-sellers, one-third for our India-centric vegetarian pizzas and one-third for our India-focused menu targeting local tastes and flavours.”
Coca-Cola is the drinks partner and Papa John’s will also serve starters and desserts alongside its pizzas.
To ensure consistency, the company has set up a quality control centre in Hennur, which supplies freshly prepared dough daily to all Bengaluru outlets. Mr Vaidya said this hub-and-spoke model will be replicated in every city the brand enters.
He added that Papa John’s aims to “recruit consumers quickly” by combining high-quality ingredients, fresh baking, and Indianised flavours that appeal to diverse regional palates.
Papa John’s re-entry comes as the global pizza giants Domino’s, Pizza Hut, and Papa John’s intensify competition in India’s fast-food sector.
It also comes after fellow American pizza brand Little Caesars launched in June 2025, with plans to open around 100 stores over the next few years.
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