When a new product hits the market, there’s no telling how people are going to react to it. And for one controversial pizza chain, that reaction came in the form of a slow-burning roast.
On Aug. 8, Papa Johns introduced its “first-ever crustless innovation" called "Papa Bowls." The pizza purveyor’s new offering is essentially a pizza without the crust, a bowl filled with with vegetables, meat, cheese and sauce. The dish is available in three varieties: Garden Veggie, Italian Meats Trio and Chicken Alfredo.
“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, Senior Vice President of Menu Strategy and Product Innovation for Papa Johns, in a press release. “Our signature crust continues to be a beloved favorite, but we know that sometimes customers crave something different. We want them to know we are committed to delivering on all of those cravings through our menu.”
While news of this new dish flew relatively under the radar for a few days, a tweet announcing the dish by CNN drew quite a bit of attention from the Twitterverse.
“To get people excited about pizza again, Papa Johns is offering a new spin on the classic, with Papa Bowls that are all topping — no crust,” CNN tweeted.
People are passionate about pizza, to be sure — particularly on Twitter — and “Papa Johns” ended up trending on Wednesday, with many folks roasting the new item like, well, a bubbly, cheesy pizza.
“PAPA, NO!” tweeted one user.
"Everyday we stray further from God’s light," tweeted another.
“No. Unsubscribe. Unfollow,” joked another person on Twitter.
“This is what people who refuse to eat the edges have brought us,” someone else tweeted. “’Tis a sign of the Apocalypse.”
“This is just a TV dinner made of cardiac failure,” added another user on Twitter. “We are all God’s children, but he has left us in a hot car with the windows rolled up and he’s been ‘picking up a pack of smokes’ for about six hours now.”
Many folks took issue with the fact that CNN said Papa Johns intended for this menu item to “get people excited about pizza again."
“There is a fundamental misunderstanding here. No one is ever not excited about pizza. We are always excited about pizza,” tweeted one person.
“Nobody is never not excited for pizza?” added another Twitter user along with a GIF of President Obama shrugging sarcastically.
"Their idea to get people excited about pizza again is to serve them not-pizza?" asked someone else.
Then Regal Cinemas decided it, too, wanted a pizza the action (get it?).
“To get people excited about the movies again, we’ve decided to offer a new spin on our classic. Welcome Regal Corn — all corn, no pop,” tweeted Regal Cinemas, along with an image of a popcorn bucket filled with corn on the cob instead.
Still, there were a few people who expressed some form of excitement about the new menu item.
“PAPA BOWLS ARE BONELESS PIZZA,” tweeted one user. “WE MADE IT REAL.” (Sorry that "boneless pizza" is now part of your vocabulary.)
"I actually think 'pizza bowls' are a fantastic idea," tweeted someone else. "Ive seen tons of people just scrape the stuff off the top to try and reduce carbs."
Papa Johns is not the only nationwide chain to offer a classic item without the carb it typically comes with. In November 2021, Domino’s offered a very similar item to Papa Bowls it calls Oven-Baked Dips. Two out of the three options Domino’s offers are savory and boast layers of marinara sauce and/or a blend of cheeses served with a choice of bread twists on the side.
And in January 2021, Subway debuted Protein Bowls, a menu addition that allowed patrons to “build any Footlong into a protein bowl with the same portion of protein, vegetables, cheese and sauce, just without the bread."
Subway weathered its own joke storm when the menu addition hit social media, with one user tweeting, “babe is everything okay? you’ve barely touched your subway italian bmt protein bowl®"
TODAY Food reached out to Papa Johns for comment but did not receive a response.
For those curious cats who want to try it before they knock it, they can get their paws on a Papa Bowl by signing up for the Papa Rewards program, as the item is available exclusively to loyalty members starting Aug. 15, and then rolls out nationally starting Aug. 22.
