Sunderland Papa John's shop closes temporarily for 'not meeting expectations'

One of Sunderland's branches of the pizza giant Papa John's has been temporarily closed by the firm until it can "find new ownership".

The shutters on the Newcastle Road takeaway are down and a sign is in place saying the shop "is closed temporarily because of operational issues".

It has not yet been made public exactly what this refers to.

The shop's most recent food hygiene inspection resulted in a five stars out of five rating from the Food Standards Agency in February 2023.

The branch hit the headlines in 2021 when it famously sold out of pizzas after Sunderland won the Papa John's Trophy final at Wembley.

Sunderland's other branch of Papa John's, on St Luke's Terrace in Pallion, has the same rating and is trading as normal.

The Newcastle Road outlet is one of eight across England the firm has this week said has not met expectations.

It was reported by national media earlier in January that up to 100 of the UK's 524 Papa John's could soon fall prey to "additional strategic restaurant closures of low-performing restaurants".

The Echo understands the Newcastle Road outlet was until recently run by a franchise holder.

Papa John's was specifically asked about staff turning up for work to find the shop shut; and also if staff wages have been paid in full.

The company replied: "We are having positive conversations and hope to have the store open very soon. Team members remain our top priority and we will make every effort to offer reemployment to those affected by the closure."

A Papa John's spokesperson added: "Papa John's prides itself on providing quality ingredients and a better customer experience across all its locations throughout the UK.

"We are committed to delivering consistency to our loyal fans, and it’s what they have come to expect.

"Unfortunately, not all of our restaurants are meeting our expectations, which is why we’ve made the tough decision to temporarily close Papa Johns Sunderland - Newcastle Road - until we find new ownership.

"We are very grateful to all our team members and look forward to seeing our customers again soon."

Papa John's is an American organisation in origin and the third biggest pizza delivery company in the world. After Dominos it is the UK’s second largest pizza takeaway brand.