---
title: "Papa Johns brings back its Epic Pepperoni-Stuffed Crust Pizza"
url: https://burnaze.com/article/ce0a2b29-f006-4ea5-a843-3230232ea5ab
source: "Nation's Restaurant News"
original_url: https://www.nrn.com/quick-service/papa-johns-brings-back-its-epic-pepperoni-stuffed-crust-pizza
author: "Alicia Kelso"
category: "Pizza"
industry: "Restaurants"
segment: "Pizza"
published: 2026-07-13T14:46:51.000Z
modified: 2026-10-31T13:18:40.687Z
image: https://eu-images.contentstack.com/v3/assets/bltea7aee2fca050a19/blt884ee746e91d1600/6a54fa964109b15d6f404698/papa_johns_stuffed.jpg?width=720&quality=80&disable=upscale
---

# Papa Johns brings back its Epic Pepperoni-Stuffed Crust Pizza

**TL;DR:** Papa Johns is bringing back its Epic Pepperoni-Stuffed Crust Pizza for a limited time nationwide, featuring sliced pepperoni and cheese tucked inside the crust. The pizza was first launched in 2022 as an extension of the original Epic Stuffed Crust launch in 2020.

*By Alicia Kelso, originally published in Nation's Restaurant News on 2026-07-13. [Read the original](https://www.nrn.com/quick-service/papa-johns-brings-back-its-epic-pepperoni-stuffed-crust-pizza).*

## Story

Papa Johns is bringing back its Epic Pepperoni-Stuffed Crust Pizza for a limited time nationwide. It features sliced pepperoni and cheese tucked inside the crust, finished with Papa Johns signature garlic seasoning.

A large, one-topping pizza is available starting at $14.99.

"The Epic Pepperoni-Stuffed Crust Pizza is a perfect example of our commitment to delivering quality in every part of the pizza," Vice President of Culinary Mark Gabrovic said in a statement. "Starting with our signature fresh, never-frozen dough made with just six simple ingredients, we carefully make each pizza with real pepperoni, melty cheese and the handcrafted preparation that makes Papa Johns special. By putting the same care into the crust as we do every other ingredient, we've created a pizza experience that stands out from the first bite to the last."

Papa Johns first launched the Epic Pepperoni-Stuffed Crust Pizza in April 2022 as an extension of its original Epic Stuffed Crust launch in December 2020, which the company called a “high-demand menu item.” It was brought back to several markets in late 2023.

Its latest return signals an intensifying competition in the stuffed-crust category. Pizza Hut introduced its stuffed crust in 1995, while Little Caesars regularly brings back its Stuffed Crazy Crust as a limited-time offering. Just last year, Domino’s jumped into the category with its Parmesan Stuffed Crust. Regional chains like Hungry Howie’s also offer Stuffed Flavored Crust pizzas.

The Epic Pepperoni-Stuffed Crust Pizza also comes as Papa Johns works to recover from several tough quarters, including a same-store sales decline of 6.4% in Q1. The company is also planning to close about 300 underperforming locations as part of that recovery effort.

The pizza category overall has struggled lately. It was the only category to experience negative sales in 2025, according to Technomic data, as six out of the top 10 pizza chains declined, including Papa Johns (-1%), Marco’s (-2.4%), Papa Murphy’s (-3%), MOD Pizza (-10.6%), and Hungry Howie’s (-5.2%).

## Entities

- QSR (sector)
- limited time offer (topic)
- Nation's Restaurant News (publication)
- Domino's (company)
- Pizza Hut (company)
- Papa Johns (company)
- Little Caesar's (company)
- Marco's Pizza (company)
- Papa Murphy's (company)
- Alicia Kelso (person)
- Hungry Howie's (company)
- MOD Pizza (company)

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Originally reported by Alicia Kelso, Nation's Restaurant News (https://www.nrn.com/quick-service/papa-johns-brings-back-its-epic-pepperoni-stuffed-crust-pizza). Summarized by Burnaze (https://burnaze.com/article/ce0a2b29-f006-4ea5-a843-3230232ea5ab).