Comparing Pizza Hut against Papa Johns is an interesting thing to do. At first glance, you may feel there is little in the way of differences between the two, but dig deeper and you see that’s not the case.
So, that’s what we plan to focus on here. We will look at pretty much every aspect that the avid pizza lover looks for when they decide to order from either Pizza Hut or Papa Johns.
By the end, our intention is to provide you with our own opinion as to which one is best out of the two. Of course, our opinion is entirely our own, and we understand you may have a few different thoughts and opinions, but that’s part of the fun.
So, let’s get on with comparing the two pizza options and start to come to our own conclusion.
The Pizza Size
Let’s kick things off by looking at size because in the world of pizza, this remains important.
What we see is that you do have some slight differences in size of pizza when comparing these two brands. Typically, a small pizza at Papa John’s is going to measure in at 8” while it’s bigger at Pizza Hut with the small measuring 9”.
But things then change when it comes to the upper end of the size range. At that point, Pizza Hut has a large pizza at 14” and Papa John’s at 13.5”. However, it doesn’t end there.
Instead, Papa John’s also has an extra-large version measuring 15.5” in size, and that’s a big difference.
However, if we are looking at the more common sizes, then it does seem that Pizza Hut offers you more across the board.
The Crust
Turning to the crust itself here, and there is a slight difference when it comes to the dough they use in both brands.
The crust with Pizza Hut does come across as slightly lighter in nature. It certainly does not have the same sense of sitting in your stomach after polishing off your pizza.
Now, that’s not to say that Papa John’s is always guilty of that. But when you eat the larger pizza from Papa John’s you can certainly feel as if you need to fight your way through it all.
The same feeling does not always apply when it comes to the larger offering at Pizza Hut. There, the lightness of the dough in the crust ends up helping you. It means you can manage to finish off the pizza without it coming across as much of a struggle.
In addition, the Papa John’s crust makes you feel like you need to work a bit harder when it comes to eating it. Your jaws need to earn their money when it comes to this, whereas the same feeling does not apply when you are at Pizza Hut.
Of course, this does all change depending on the pizza. For example, the thin crust with both tends to come across as crispier in nature. However, the thin crust at Pizza Hut has more of a crunch to it than at Papa John’s.
So, when it comes to the quality of the crust, then Pizza Hut does win. Both give perfectly reasonable crusts to most of their customers, so this is certainly a close-run thing with Pizza Hut just having the edge.
The Sauce
When it comes to the sauce with both pizzas, then the sauce with Pizza Hut has more of a tang to it. This can, at times, come across as slightly overpowering, and that could make it harder for some people to appreciate the sauce.
Also, the sauce at Pizza Hut changes depending on the pizza you have ordered. Be aware that some pizzas do not come with garlic included in the sauce, so it can come across as blander than other sauces at Pizza Hut.
However, the general consensus is that the sauce at Pizza Hut could do some work when you compare it to Papa John’s.
Papa John’s does tend to use more of a bland sauce. There is still a nice taste to it, but it does then appear to allow the taste of the toppings to really come through.
In that respect, then Papa John’s wins when it comes to the sauce that is put onto the crust.
The Toppings
For the toppings, it’s generally accepted that the cheese used by Pizza Hut has a far superior taste to it compared to Papa John’s. Now, cheese is a huge thing when it comes to pizza, and you would think that both companies would put everything into it. Well, they don’t.
The truth is that the cheese at Pizza Hut just tastes a whole lot more like cheese when compared to the Papa John’s option. It seems to add a different dimension to the pizza, and they certainly do not restrict the amount of cheese that they use.
Aside from the cheese, the rest of the toppings remain pretty much the same. Of course, Pizza Hut does have the ability to offer you different things thanks to being part of the Yum brand, but your basic toppings do come across as the same.
Of course, it’s difficult to go ahead and compare toppings that don’t appear at both brands. That’s unfair.
So, when we look at the toppings that they share, then there’s not much of a difference between the two. It’s how they use the toppings that are key.
So, for the toppings, it’s another slight win for Pizza Hut, and it’s all because of the cheese.
The Price
Cost is clearly a huge deal, and the problem here is that both brands tend to offer a number of special prices throughout the year. That does mean that prices vary a great deal, and it’s clear that the chain with the best price will change.
Of course, we need to compare similar pizzas when it comes to the deals. When we do this, then Pizza Hut will often come up with the better offers with this direct comparison.
But like we said, this changes. We don’t doubt that Papa John’s will also have better deals at various times. We recommend checking out the current deals when ready to order.
Now, we aren’t going to go and list prices here. They change all the time. However, we do feel that Pizza Hut does offer the best price for the pizza.
Delivery
The delivery of your order is one area where Papa John’s does manage to end up winning. Generally speaking, Papa John’s does end up delivering faster than Pizza Hut. Now, that’s not something you can always predict, but this is often the case.
We are, of course, talking about a matter of minutes of a difference between the two. It’s not as if Papa John’s takes 20 minutes and Pizza Hut takes 40 minutes for the same thing.
But if you want to have your pizza delivered in the shortest time possible, then it’s Papa John’s you need to go for. However, if you feel as if you can wait a bit longer when it comes to your pizza, then this may not be as big a deal.
So, Which is Actually the Best?
When you look at those key areas, then the one thing that strikes you is that Pizza Hut does come out on top. However, it is often a close thing between the two.
But it does always come down to personal preference.
For us, the crust and toppings are slightly better when it comes to Pizza Hut. But there is the risk of Pizza Hut sort of destroying their advantage by adding on too much of their sauce.
Keep in mind that the sauce with Pizza Hut does come across as having more of a bite to it. That is not always something people appreciate, so if you are in that camp, then Papa John’s is the better option.
But when we balance it all out, the one thing that comes across quite clearly is that Pizza Hut stands out above Papa John’s. They generally offer slightly better value for your money, and the entire quality tends to be better on a more regular basis.
Overall Conclusion
Both Pizza Hut and Papa John’s have the ability to provide you with a pretty decent pizza. However, there does need to be a winner, and we have settled on Pizza Hut.
They do have more established options available to their customers. Also, they do provide you with better topping selections, but that only applies if you go ahead and choose something away from the usual options.
But the truth is that you should go ahead and try both and seek to come to your own conclusion as to the best pizza. We don’t think that you will generally feel disappointed when it comes to the pizza on offer.
Also, it gives you another opportunity to grab another pizza, and who wouldn’t want to do that?
