Papa Johns provides mobile ‘super app’ to Middle East employees
The Middle East operator of the Papa Johns pizza franchise is bringing an app-centric work experience to frontline associates.
PJP Investments Group, which operates Papa Johns restaurants across the United Arab Emirates, Saudia Arabia, and Jordan, is partnering with AI frontline associate platform Blink to provide its 1,300 workers with a “super app.” With approximately 93% of PJP's employees spread across restaurant operations in different countries, communication has traditionally relied on manager cascades, shared systems and informal channels, which has made it difficult to consistently reach every team member.
With more than 70% of its workforce made up of millennial and Gen Z employees, PJP sought a modern digital experience that reflects how its employees already communicate, gain access to information and stay connected across shifts. As a result of deploying the Blink mobile platform, every frontline associate, regardless of role, location or access to corporate systems, will have a mobile interface for communications, recognition from management, and future services.
PJP says the new frontline employee app is part of a larger vision to modernize employee experience and create a stronger, more consistent culture across its growing workforce.
"Our people are at the heart of our business, and we believe that when you take care of your people, you create better experiences for your customers," said Melitsa Mizrahi, chief people officer at PJP Investments Group. "Pioneering people-centricity in a fast-paced QSR world isn't a slogan for us. It's a daily practice across how we develop, recognize, and connect with our teams. With 93% of our workforce working in restaurants, we wanted more than a communications tool. We needed a digital foundation that could connect every colleague directly to the business and scale with us as we grow. Blink gives us that foundation, bringing communication and all our future employee services together in one place."
As PJP continues to expand across the Middle East region, Blink will serve as a centralized hub for frontline employees, providing access to learning resources, company policies, operational updates, marketing campaigns, recognition programs, and other workforce tools. Tailored by country, location, and role level, the platform is designed to ensure employees receive relevant, personalized content while reinforcing a consistent culture across the organization.
"Papa Johns is investing in the digital infrastructure needed to support its frontline workforce at scale,” said Sean Nolan, CEO and co-founder at Blink. “We're proud to welcome PJP alongside leading QSR brands.”
In the U.S., Papa Johns is partnering with Par Technology Corporation to deploy the Par POS and Par OPS platforms to build a “faster, more intelligent and connected” restaurant and digital ordering experience for customers, operators and franchisees.
[READ MORE: Papa Johns bolsters in-store tech with AI platforms]
Par POS and Par OPS will bring front-of-house ordering, make-line operations, above-restaurant management, as well as AI-powered labor, inventory and restaurant management on one platform.
PJP Investments Group LLC, which is fully-owned by Dubai-based private equity firm Levant Capital, is licensed by Papa Johns Pizza International USA for the territories of United Arab Emirates, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Iraq and India. Papa Johns is co-headquartered in Atlanta and Louisville and is the world’s third-largest pizza delivery company with approximately 6,000 restaurants in approximately 50 countries and territories.
