Papa Johns closing hundreds of restaurants in…

Pizza chain Papa John’s said it plans to close hundreds of underperforming restaurants in North America by the end of next 12 months.

“We have identified approximately 300 underperforming restaurants across North America that are not meeting brand expectations or lack a clear path to sustainable financial improvement, as well as locations where we can effectively transfer sales to a nearby restaurant,” Papa John’s Chief Financial Officer Ravi Thanawala said last week during the company’s fourth-quarter earnings call.

Thanawala described the places as being primarily franchise-owned, more than a decade outdated and producing less than $600,000 in annual gross sales (AUVs). He said the bulk of the restaurants will shutter by the end of 2027, with about 200 closures taking place this 12 months.

“We believe these closures will further strengthen the system, increasing AUVs by at least 3% and improve franchisee health by allowing franchisees to reallocate resources towards operational excellence in their remaining restaurants and open units in priority markets,” Thanawala said.

Roughly 200 closures will occur this 12 months. Bloomberg via Getty Images

He also said that the bulk of the company’s restaurants worldwide have “performed well over the years and delivered strong returns for both corporate and franchise owners,” and that the strategic closure of underperforming restaurants are “among the most impactful actions we can take to improve restaurant profitability and fleet health.”

The company reported a 5.4% decline in same-store gross sales in the fourth quarter, which CEO Todd Penegor said “reflected a weak consumer backdrop and elevated promotional environment.”

The company reported a 5.4% decline in same-store gross sales in the fourth quarter. Getty Images

Papa John’s operated 3,523 restaurants in North America as of the fourth quarter of 2025. It opened 96 new places in its latest fiscal 12 months.

Rival pizza chain Pizza Hut also not too long ago announced that it would close 250 places in the U.S. through June.

Ranjith Roy, the chief financial officer of Pizza Hut’s company father or mother Yum! Brands, said during an earnings call that the closures will primarily goal weaker-performing Pizza Hut restaurants as half of a broader effort to modernize the chain.

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Nostalgia is big right now…

Another “American Pie” movie has been baking long enough.

For Jason Biggs, who starred as Jim Levenstein in the 1999 coming-of-age comedy, returning to the franchise can be a dream.

“There’s always talks,” the actor, 47, solely told The Post at the premiere of his new movie “Operation Gary Taco’s” on Tuesday. “There’s always rumblings. I can tell you that I’d love to get back with everybody and do another one if it’s the right story.”

Jason Biggs attends the Los Angeles premiere of “Operation Taco Gary’s” on Feb. 25, 2026. MediaPunch / BACKGRID

Mena Suvari, Chris Klein, Eddie Kaye Thomas, Seann William Scott, Thomas Ian Nicholas, Tara Reid, Alyson Hannigan, Jason Biggs, Natasha Lyonne on the 1999 poster for “American Pie.” ©Universal/Courtesy Everett Collection

Biggs added, “I think it would be so much fun. I love playing that character. I love working with those guys and gals. Everybody is just — it’s family, you know? So I’d love to do it. And honestly, I feel like enough people ask and there’s enough fans. Nostalgia is big right now.”

In 2024, co-star Thomas Ian Nicholas revealed that there was a fifth script, but screenwriter Adam Herz said negotiations fell through.

Jason Biggs dishes on “American Pie” with The Post’s Alexandra Bellusci.

Jason Biggs tells The Post’s Alexandra Bellusci that he can be open to an “American Pie 5.”

The authentic films also starred Eugene Levy, Seann William Scott, Alyson Hannigan, Mena Suvari, Chris Klein, Tara Reid, Eddie Kaye Thomas and Natasha Lyonne.

The sex-comedy franchise put out three more movies: “American Pie 2” in 2001, “American Wedding” in 2003 and “American Reunion” in 2012.

And Biggs has an inkling or two about where Jim can be today.

Jason Biggs in a scene from “American Pie.” ©Universal/Courtesy Everett Collection

Jason Biggs as Jim and Alyson Hannigan as Michelle in “American Pie 2.” ©Universal/Courtesy Everett Collection

“Boy, I think he’s dealing with his high school age son going through a lot of the same antics and shenanigans that he was exposed to and he got himself into when he was in high school,” the star mused. “So I imagine he is kind of taking on the Jim’s dad role, the Eugene Levy role.”

“We have grandpa. So I imagine that’s sort of where he’s at. That’s the stage of life that he finds himself in.”

In January, Biggs revealed why it was time to let his oldest son Sid, 11, whom he shares with spouse Jenny Mollen, know about his notorious “American Pie” scene.

Eugene Levy and Jason Biggs in a shot from “American Pie 2.” REUTERS

Jason Biggs enjoying with condom in a scene from “American Pie.” ©Universal/Courtesy Everett Collection

“They kept hearing about ‘American Pie’ and pie and [asking], ‘Daddy, what do you do with the pie?’ and I had to have a conversation with my oldest,” Biggs recalled while on SiriusXM’s “The Julia Cunningham Show.” “I actually showed him the scene. Jenny and I talked about this, and we were like, ‘We want to get ahead of this.’”

The scene in query confirmed Jim getting caught by his dad in a compromising place with a freshly baked pie.

“It’s my version of a sex talk, right?” Biggs, who is also dad to son Lazlo, 8, detailed. “It’s like, how much do you want them to hear from friends and other people at school, and how much do you want to control the narrative, and it was literally happening with ‘American Pie.’”

Eddie Kaye Thomas, Jason Biggs, Chris Klein in the 2001 movie. ©Universal/Courtesy Everett Collection

Jason Biggs and Eugene Levy attend the premiere of “American Pie 4” in Paris. Corbis via Getty Images

Jason Biggs with his spouse Jenny Mollen and their two sons. Instagram/@biggsjason

For Sid, it was an awkward second until his dad performed the footage.

“He was embarrassed to say it, very embarrassed, but I was like, ‘Okay. Let me show you. Let me show you what happened.’ And so I showed him the scene, and he laughed and laughed.”

“He was a little uncomfortable, for sure,” the “Saving Silverman” star confessed. “He did say I was a good actor.”

But Biggs is never far from outrageous comedy, as he at present stars in “Operation Taco Gary’s” alongside Brenda Song, Simon Rex, Arturo Castro, Tony Cavalero and Dustin Milligan.

Jason Biggs in “Operation Taco Gary’s.” Courtesy Everett Collection

Simon Rex and Dustin Milligan in the new comedy flick. Courtesy Everett Collection

The film sees “two brothers embark on a cross-country road trip that quickly goes off the rails when they get mixed up in a global conspiracy,” per the synopsis.

Working with this crew was a delight for Biggs, who shared with The Post that Castro, 40, “can’t resist the joke.”

“He’s so funny,” gushed the “Wedding Daze” actor. “He’s so quick.”

Wwhen it comes to decompressing from work, Biggs has one guilty pleasure he likes to indulge in.

Jason Biggs in a scene from “Operation Taco Gary’s.” Courtesy Everett Collection

Doug Jones in the comedy. Courtesy Everett Collection

“Here’s the thing. My guilty pleasures are — I’m not guilty. I have no guilt. I love reality TV and the ‘Bachelor,’ and ‘Bachelorette.’ That was my big thing for a long time,” he said. “I’m off of it a little bit just because I have kids and it’s tougher to stay on top of these things.”

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