business

6 Reasons Why Pizza Hut does better than Papa John's in China

Larry Salibra

Larry Salibra

— 1 min read

Quick post as I wait for my 12 inch 1/2 chicken curry 1/2 pepperoni pizza from Pizza Hut to be delivered here in Guangzhou:

I was reminded tonight, yet again, by Papa John's nationwide delivery hotline why Pizza Hut does so much better in the China market.

  1. They accept credit cards. It is 2010 folks...even in China few people pay in cash for middle and upper end eating out (in which Papa John's with its 100 CNY+ pizza prices most definitely falls.) You don't need to accept international cards (Visa, Mastercard, etc...even though Pizza Hut does), but at least accept China Unionpay! If mom & pop outfits accept Unionpay for sales of 10 CNY or less, Papa John's surely can find a way.

  2. Their delivery people don't turn your pizza upside down in route.

  3. They don't randomly stop offering sizes and crusts (such as the 12 inch traditional crust) in conflict with their online menu and published promotions.

  4. They accept online orders.

  5. Their nationwide toll-free delivery line actually takes orders for the whole period of time that its open instead of stating that the delivery line is open until 10pm but telling people who call at 9:53pm that their locations don't accept orders after 9:55pm.  (???) Additionally, they don't, after having the ridiculousness of this pointed out, say that they will place the order anyways but if the pizza doesn't show up, the customer will have to deal with the store.

  6. There is actually some degree of product consistent between locations unlike Papa John's where pizzas from different locations taste totally different.

In Papa John's defense, their pizzas generally do taste better.  However, I'm not going to order them if its such a hassle. This isn't some deep insight from a business China expert...it's common sense.