Papa Johns to bottle, sell iconic garlic sauce in stores nationwide
If you’ve ever dreamed of bottling PapaJohns' iconic garlic sauce and getting creative with it outside the realm of pizza, then all your dreams are about to come true.
This summer, Papa Johns will be bottling and distributing its Special Garlic Dipping Sauce to grocery and retail stores nationwide, the company announced in a May 13 news release shared with USA TODAY.
Alongside the complimentary pepperoncini that comes with every order, Papa Johns’ savory sauce has long been a cult favorite, propelling the 40-year-old company to the third-largest pizza delivery restaurant in the world.
Here's what to know about getting your hands on Papa Johns' Special Garlic Dipping Sauce.
‘Life beyond pizza night’
“Our Special Garlic Dipping Sauce is one of the most iconic flavors in our brand, and our fans have a deep connection to it,” Mark Gabrovic, vice president of culinary for Papa Johns, said in a statement. “Our goal was to take that bold, buttery garlic flavor fans love and reimagine it for life beyond pizza night.”
Gabrovic added that the sauce sold in stores was “inspired” by the recipe that’s found in every Papa Johns pizza box, and “delivers a rich, crave worthy garlic experience that’s best served warm and is ready to dip, drizzle, or cook with at home.”
The sauce will be available at select grocery stores and retailers across the country this summer, including Walmart, Kroger, Albertson’s, Safeway and H-E-B.
To help Papa Johns sauce heads get started, the company added a couple of recipes to its website, from light snacks to full meals.
A savory history
In a 2017 interview with Eater.com, Papa Johns’ former “chief ingredient officer,” Sean Muldoon, noted that the Special Garlic Dipping Sauce has been a staple of the brand and served alongside every pizza since its founding in 1984.
The recipe has remained largely unchanged, Muldoon said, except for a 2015 initiative, during which Papa Johns implemented a “clean-label standard,” ridding its products of partially hydrogenated oils, artificial flavors and synthetic colors.
“The garlic butter sauce has proven to be a perfect complement to our pizza crust,” Muldoon told Eater. “Some people love dipping the crust so much, they’ll do this first, before eating the pizza.”
As for its entry into the consumer market, Papa Johns CEO Todd Penegor said during a May 7 first-quarter earnings call that it “unlocks new sales layers to expand our topline,” Nation’s Restaurant News reported.
“This launch builds awareness by extending our brand beyond our restaurants and gives customers a convenient way to add Papa John's signature flavor to their everyday meals,” Penegor added.
Drew Pittock covers national trending news for USA TODAY. He can be reached at [email protected].