Papa John's sales skyrocket, as pizza chains add bizarre new menu items to triumph over rivals during the pandemic

• Papa John's comparable sales grew 24.2% at locations across North America in August.
• The pizza chain's sales were boosted by new menu items, such as the massive pepperoni "Shaq-a-Roni" pizza.
• Pizza sales have soared through the pandemic. Now, chains are getting creative, with new menu items such as Papa John's Grilled Buffalo Chicken Papadia and Domino's chicken taco and cheeseburger pizzas.

Papa John's sales are continuing to skyrocket through the coronavirus pandemic.

On Tuesday, the pizza chain announced that comparable sales grew 24.2% at locations across North America in August.

"Papa John's sales, driven by product innovation, remained strong in August," CEO Rob Lynch said in a statement. "As we have added new customers throughout 2020, our customer satisfaction and brand affinity scores also continue rising."

Product innovation refers to new menu items, such as the massive pepperoni "Shaq-a-Roni" pizza that debuted in late June. On Monday, Papa John's announced it was rolling out another quirky menu item in the form of the Grilled Buffalo Chicken Papadia, which mixes aspects of pizzas, quesadillas, and chicken wings.

Other pizza chains are similarly rolling out new menu items, as brands attempt to maintain customers' attention and differentiate themselves. On Monday, Domino's debuted the chicken taco pizza and the cheeseburger pizza. Earlier in August, Pizza Hut launched the Double It Box, which fits two medium sized pizzas in one box.

Pizza sales have soared through the pandemic. Pizza chains have been making major investments in digital technology and delivery for years, leaving other chains to play catch up in recent months.

"Mobile ordering is our fastest growing platform," Lynch said on a call with investors in early August. "This capability positions us well for the foreseeable future, as customer ordering and consumption behavior continues to be affected by the pandemic — possibly with long-term impact."