Sometimes the easiest meals are the simplest. We love a good pizza, and when life gets busy, it’s typically an affordable crowd-pleaser. There are a ton of restaurants that serve pizza, and for one chain, the competition is hurting business. Papa Murphy’s was founded in 1995 and for 30 years it’s offered customers Take ‘N’ Bake pizza, salads, and other sides. With approximately 1,000 locations, Papa Murphy’s has a nice slice of the pizza sector but continues to close underperforming locations. According to Restaurant Dive, Papa Murphy’s announced store closures during a recent earnings call.
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Eric Lefebvre, CEO and president of parent company MTY Food Group, announced plans to reinvigorate the brand.
Papa Murphy’s Faces Marketing Challenges
Eric Lefebvre admitted Papa Murphy’s just doesn’t have the $30 million to $40 million advertising budgets that other big-name pizza shops spend on marketing. As a result, franchisees are experiencing a decline in business.
“We’re trying to work with them to have the right material to have the right campaigns for them to be, I guess, motivated to deploy some capital and invest in marketing,” he said.
Papa Murphy’s also hopes to increase sales by focusing on “menu optimization, SKU rationalization and an entirely new lineup of exciting pizzas launching next year, all aimed at driving innovation, simplifying operations and enhancing the guest experience,” according to Eric Lefebvre.
According to Restaurant Dive, Papa Murphy’s had more than 1,200 locations in 2022. It closed 83 locations in 2024 alone. While the CEO doesn’t expect “the magnitude we’ve seen in the last two years,” more closures could come soon.
Fans love Papa Murphy’s. On the brand’s most recent Instagram post, one fan pleaded for the pizza place to reopen near them.
“I beg you to reopen in Lexington KY please,” they wrote. “The one location you had closed years ago and I need it back in my life the closest is an hour and a half to two hours away.”
This story’s featured image is by Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images.
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