Google Cloud today announced an expanded multi-year partnership with Papa Johns to revolutionize the pizza maker’s ordering and delivery experience using the power of artificial intelligence (AI). Through the partnership Papa Johns has created an innovation team, named PJX, that will leverage Google Cloud’s AI, data analytics and machine learning (ML) capabilities to provide a more frictionless and consistent experience for customers both inside its restaurants and throughout its digital channels.
Through its partnership with Google Cloud, Papa Johns expects to drive success through increased order frequency, higher-value orders, reduced customer service costs, improved customer satisfaction (via a chatbot powered by Google Cloud’s technology) – and ultimately, more joyful pizza experiences.
“At Papa Johns, our aspiration is to be the best pizza makers in the business. Being the best means we are crafting great pizza and providing every single customer a superior experience along every part of their journey – from ordering, to delivery, to our loyalty program,” said Todd Penegor, President and CEO, Papa Johns. “Our partnership with Google Cloud will enable us to take personalization to the next level. We’re not just reacting to orders – we’re anticipating our customers’ needs and proactively providing tailored recommendations and offers. This isn’t just about convenience; it’s about creating a truly joyful and personalized pizza experience that builds lasting loyalty.”
As Papa Johns works to revolutionize the pizza industry through a commitment to unwavering quality and a seamless customer experience, PJX will focus on using Google Cloud’s AI to improve customer support, drive advanced personalization and build proactive experiences “from click to crust.” Key projects for the team include:
- Anticipation of customer needs: Using Google BigQuery, Vertex AI, and Gemini, Papa Johns will proactively suggest orders through push notifications or email, based on learned customer preferences and anticipated needs for upcoming occasions like birthdays or sporting events.
- Hyper-personalized loyalty experiences: By applying Google’s generative AI (gen AI) models against its data, Papa Johns can help optimize loyalty program rewards and benefits. In addition, the pizza maker will be equipped with real-time personalization that dynamically adjusts the website and app experience for users, such as presenting unique discount codes or advertisements based on previous orders, customer preferences, location, and more.
- Predictive ordering and personalized marketing: Using Google Cloud’s AI, Papa Johns will be able to predict customer ordering patterns to provide relevant promotions and ordering shortcuts. This also includes AI-driven marketing campaigns that can deliver personalized offers, content, and timing based on preferences.
- AI-powered customer interactions: Papa Johns plans to build an AI-powered chatbot that can handle common customer inquiries, seamlessly escalating complex issues to live agents. The pizza maker will also incorporate AI-powered voice ordering via the app to further enhance convenience.
- Optimized restaurant operations: Papa Johns will transition to a Google Cloud-based point-of-sale (POS) system that lays the foundation for AI-driven dispatching, route optimization, and intelligent automation of key restaurant processes.
“Throughout its history, Papa Johns has been at the forefront of technology innovation – and its innovation team understands that AI has the power to transform the customer experience into something truly special,” said Matt Renner, President, Global Revenue, Google Cloud. “Google Cloud’s portfolio of data, analytics, and AI capabilities is helping Papa Johns deliver proactive, hyper-personalized service that goes above and beyond for its customers, building relationships that will keep customers coming back for more.”
“PJX will bring together teams from Papa Johns and Google Cloud to elevate the experience of Papa Johns customers at nearly every touchpoint – from the moment they first crave pizza and engage with Papa Johns, all the way to enjoying the first bite of their pizza order,” said Kevin Vasconi, Chief Digital and Technology Officer, Papa Johns. “By building on our heritage as a tech pioneer in the pizza industry, we are embracing what has always made Papa Johns so well-loved – our commitment to Better.”
