- Papa John's is giving away 10,000 slices to commemorate
Bitcoin Pizza Day. - The day's origins trace back to a purchase of Papa John's pizza made by Laszlo Hanyecz.
- The chain's SVP told Insider its giveaway was an extension of its connection to the bitcoin story.
Papa John's is giving away 10,000 slices of pizza to commemorate the 10,000 bitcoins paid for two by Laszlo Hanyecz back in 2010.
Justin Falciola, SVP, chief insights & technology officer, told Insider about the thinking behind the strategy.
He said: "Celebrating National Bitcoin Pizza Day felt like a natural extension of Papa John's historical tie to the bitcoin story. We always strive to have fun as a brand, and we hope giving a nod to this legendary tale brings joy to our customers."
He continued: "It's great for consumer brands to show that they're aware of trends and emerging technologies. The benefit to this is meeting consumers where they are and continuing to build a meaningful connection."
When asked what the future holds for bitcoin, Falciola said: "While we can't say for sure, we have always prioritized forward-thinking and new technological advancements in the food and beverage space so we are interested to see the direction payment and ordering processes take in the coming years."
The link between pizza and bitcoin was further observed earlier in the week when crypto investor Anthony Pompliano launched a bitcoin-themed pizza service in the US that won't accept the digital asset as payment.
As Insider's Shalini Nagarajan reported, the service will partner with independent pizzerias in 10 cities across the US, but won't accept bitcoin payments. All proceeds will go towards supporting research and development of bitcoin, Pompliano said.
Optimism for the
The market cap for global digital currencies came in at $1.35 trillion on Wednesday, down from a recent peak of $2.56 trillion on May 12, according to data from CoinMarketCap.com.