(originally posted 1/3/2010)
Oh Papa John’s, what happened?
I bought 4 pizzas for a party at my house. I know times are tough, but do you know how cheap and, well, petty it looks when you throw only one lonely peppercini in with a pizza? Two makes sense. A pair. They can keep each other company until I eat them. One just seems as though you’ve quit trying. None would be a bit disappointing, but one just somehow seems worse.
Someone should be comparing the cost of that one peppercini with the poor impression that it’s absence made. The missing 4 peppercinis were a long topic of conversation at the party. One can’t help but wonder how many other things were missing. What other ingredients were left out of substituted?
I know businesses have had to cut costs to weather this recession, but there are some cuts that are detrimental to the long-term health of a business. The cuts that make customers question the quality are those that are never a savings.
Now, I have no inside knowledge of any changes made to a Papa John’s pizza. For all I know, the only thing that has changed is the amount of peppercini included with each pizza. I’m just relating the impression that it made on me and those at my party. Even if others don’t spend as much time considering this change, even if they never consciously acknowledge it, I’m sure it makes an impression on them.
