Inside Papa Johns plans in Asia
The company leverages local insights and global best practices to expand its footprint in diverse markets.
Balancing global brand consistency whilst navigating an extremely diverse market such as Asia has been the biggest challenge for Papa Johns, especially in regions where localisation is one of the biggest factors when it comes to endearing itself to consumers.
Ahead of the QSR Media Asia Conference & Awards 2026, Ann Zhang, general manager of Papa John's APAC, told QSR Media Asia how it takes on such a challenge, how the company differentiates itself from other major pizza chains, and where it plans to focus its investments in 2026.
She also shared insights on untapped growth opportunities in South and Southeast Asia and how emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence and digital integration are expected to reshape the industry in the coming years.
QSR Media: What is the single biggest operational challenge your business is facing today in Asia, and how are you managing it?
Ann Zhang: Asia is an extremely dynamic and diverse region, with significant variations in consumer behaviour, local taste preferences, and rapidly evolving digital ecosystems. The biggest operational challenge is balancing global brand consistency with deep local relevance whilst keeping pace with the speed of digital innovation.
To manage this, we are strengthening cross-market knowledge sharing, investing in localised consumer insights, and working closely with our franchise partners. We are also leveraging our strong cross-functional and centralised restaurant support teams to provide consistent standards, best practices, and scalable capabilities whilst allowing for local flexibility and execution agility in each market.
In an increasingly crowded market, what is the one thing your brand does differently that your competitors simply cannot replicate?
Papa Johns differentiates itself through a genuine commitment to product innovation combined with localised execution. We bring global best-in-class innovations to Asia but intentionally tailor them to local tastes, cultural nuances, and channel behaviours.
What truly sets us apart is the combination of strong product craftsmanship, consumer-centric localisation, close franchise partnership, and a highly coordinated centralised support model across R&D, marketing, supply chain, and operations. This integrated way of working enables us to scale innovation whilst maintaining quality and local relevance that is unique to the Papa John's brand.
Where are you allocating the bulk of your investment in 2026, and what specific metric will determine whether that investment has succeeded?
In 2026, we will primarily invest in driving strong product innovation and further building and optimising our digital capabilities to enhance convenience and overall customer experience. Success will be measured through a combination of metrics, including sales growth, digital channel penetration, customer satisfaction, and improvement in profitability for our franchise partners.
What is one untapped customer segment, format, or geography you are actively targeting for growth this year?
Whilst we have a strong presence across North Asia and Central Asia, we see significant growth potential in South and Southeast Asia. We are actively exploring opportunities to expand our footprint in this region, focusing on markets where we can bring differentiated value through our product, digital capabilities, and partnership model.
Looking three to five years ahead, what structural change do you believe will permanently reshape how QSR brands operate?
I believe the rapid advancement of technology, particularly artificial intelligence, will fundamentally reshape how QSR brands operate. AI will increasingly influence personalised marketing, supply chain optimisation, and operational efficiency, enabling more data-driven decision-making.
Additionally, automation and digital integration across channels will redefine the customer experience and operational model. Over time, I believe this will shift QSR brands toward more digitally enabled, consumer-centric, and technology-driven organisations, where speed, precision, and personalisation become key competitive advantages.
Hear more from Ann at the QSR Media Asia Conference & Awards 2026 on 24 March at the Grand Copthorne Waterfront Singapore. For more information, please click this link.
