Papa Johns spent 18 months weighing strategic alternatives, including a possible sale, before deciding in August to stay the course on its transformation plan — and the chain is now leaning on a new global chief marketing officer and a Walmart delivery partnership to support that turnaround.

The company appointed Chris Lyn-Sue, previously senior vice president and managing director of international, as global CMO. CEO Todd Penegor told the Piper Sandler Growth Frontiers Conference last month that Lyn-Sue won the role because of his credibility with franchisees as a commercial marketer.

"[Lyn-Sue has] hit the ground running. You're seeing us play that playbook right now," Penegor said at the conference. "This big opportunity ahead for us is to compete even better and truly be a cut above the big-box QSR pizza players... that's some of the work that Chris Lyn-Sue and team have underway right now."

What is the marketing priority?

Among the chain's top priorities is reestablishing a traditional barbell sales model that pairs value on everyday offerings with promotional pulses. National advertising will support that structure, alongside local efforts driven by marketing co-ops and field marketing teams.

The company previously announced plans to rebalance its media mix toward greater mass exposure, stand up a field marketing team and reinstate marketing co-ops for the majority of the system — a full agenda for the remainder of 2026.

"We want to really tap into making sure that we're going all in on reclaiming our better ingredients story, and that's going to be done by our recommitment to driving what makes us different," Lyn-Sue said.

Why does Walmart Express Delivery matter?

Papa Johns recently partnered with Walmart to offer delivery through Walmart Express Delivery. The chain joins Subway and Dunkin' on the platform, but stands as the first national restaurant brand available through Walmart Express Delivery that is fulfilled by locations outside the retailer's stores.

"Pizza and delivery have always gone hand in hand, and one of the main opportunities for us is driving that further convenience and making sure that, as consumers' behaviors continue to evolve, that we evolve alongside them," Lyn-Sue said.

The partnership gives Papa Johns access to a customer cohort it views as incremental. Company research shows very little overlap between consumers who use Walmart and those who use DoorDash and Uber Eats. Walmart Express Delivery already facilitates a high percentage of restaurant deliveries alongside household goods orders, and Walmart's insights have helped Papa Johns identify moments when consumers are open to combining purchases — candy shopping around Halloween, for example.

"Think of it as consumer behavior, seasonal opportunity and consumer insights combined into making it more convenient and more accessible for consumers to enjoy Papa John's," Lyn-Sue said.

How does this fit the broader delivery strategy?

Papa Johns was an early mover in third-party delivery, partnering with a variety of services in 2019. Its own channels remain the focal point, but the chain treats aggregator presence as a discovery engine for new customers.

"At the end of the day, we are growth agnostic. We're going to go where consumers' behaviors reside, and where convenience lives in their minds," Lyn-Sue said. "We think that third-party aggregators play a role in allowing Papa Johns to be discovered by new people. We see Walmart very similarly to the third-party aggregators."

On the menu side, the chain has leaned on topping abundance as a value signal, launching pizzas with more pepperoni and extra toppings, including a seven-premium-topping "The Works" pizza.

What comes next?

This summer, Papa Johns teamed with Disney and Pixar around the release of "Toy Story 5," generating approximately 4 billion total earned media impressions. The collaboration included a co-branded spot and Pizza Planet experiences in Los Angeles, London, Seoul and Madrid.

Lyn-Sue also pointed to existing rituals — the free garlic sauce and pepperoncini in every box — as assets the brand will tap in ad creative, marketing communications and value-oriented promotions.

"In this QSR environment, price plays a role, but we think it's about making sure we're showing the convenience and perception of value," Lyn-Sue said.

With the Walmart partnership live, the barbell value architecture rebuilding and the "better ingredients" platform returning to the center of its messaging, Papa Johns enters the rest of 2026 betting that incremental distribution and reasserted brand identity can do what a sale could not.