4 Ordering Tips For The Best Papa Johns Pizza

Papa John's has been slinging pizza for over four decades, so the chain knows a thing or two about building a satisfying pie. In addition to specialty pizzas like its Tuscan Six Cheese and Hawaiian BBQ Chicken, customers also have a wild number of customization options at their disposal. According to the chain's website, you can choose from multiple crusts, sauces, doneness levels, and cheese quantities. That got us thinking: How can we tweak a Papa John's pie for the ultimate in pizza satisfaction?

With these ordering tips, you can enjoy a crispier crust or experiment with a different type of sauce to create a new flavor profile. You can also ask for a special cut (perfect for parties) or spice up your pie with one of the chain's flavorful extras, such as anchovies. While these options are available for online orders, we can't verify that every single shop will be able to honor all special requests. And if it's your first time patronizing this pizza chain, allow us to recommend 11 essential tips for ordering from Papa John's.

Of all the possible pizza crimes out there, a soggy pie is especially heinous. A sad, floppy pizza can happen for all sorts of reasons, though a few of the usual culprits include too many moist toppings, incorrect cooking temperatures, and cold dough. Patrons of Papa John's, however, may avoid this sorry outcome by asking for a "Well Done" pizza. Much like a well-done steak, this pizza will be crispier and darker in color than your standard pie. On the Papa John's website, you'll find this option under the "Bake" tab, right next to the "Normal" doneness option. Customers placing orders over the phone can also request a well-done bake.

Generally speaking, this menu modification results in a better pizza, as it reduces sogginess and crisps up the crust. And according to a Papa John's customer on Reddit, a well-done pie from the chain is "chef's kiss ... It slapped so hard." A word of warning, though, for anyone new to the world of well-done pizza: There's a thin line between this designation and burnt. It's also a matter of personal perspective. Some people legitimately enjoy the charred flavor of burnt food, while others would rather eat Mike and Ikes off a slaughterhouse floor.

If you've ever wondered about the difference between pizza and pasta sauces, it's all in the cooking. While pasta sauce is simmered before its incorporated into dishes, pizza sauce goes onto the dough uncooked and only heats up in the oven. While we're blowing your minds with pizza facts, here's something else to chew on: Papa John's offers a surprising variety of sauce options in addition to the standard tomato-based selection. According to the restaurant's website, your choices include barbecue, Buffalo, ranch, and Alfredo. Customers can also specify how much sauce they'd like on their pizzas by selecting either the "Light," "Normal," or "Extra" option.

While we feel like ranch or hot sauce might be better drizzled over the cheese rather than under it, the Alfredo and barbecue options are pretty appealing when looking for an alternative to the typical pie. Alfredo is a cheesy sauce that's often paired with pasta. It typically features Parmesan and mozzarella, two staple cheeses in the world of pizza creation. Then there's barbecue chicken pizza, which features a tangy sauce base plus roasted chicken, mozzarella, red onion, and chopped herbs.

The Papa John's website really excels in the customization department. Not only can patrons make specific requests regarding doneness and sauces, but they can ask for their pizzas to be cut in different ways. The "Cut" tab on the website includes "Normal," "Square," and "No Cut" options if you feel like carving up the pie yourself (though as a diehard "Breaking Bad" fan, this writer is legally required to mention that in no way does this "pass the savings on to you"). The chain also has a "Clean Cut" option, meaning your pizza will be sliced with a freshly cleaned pizza cutter to prevent cross-contamination.

Lurking among these myriad choices is a solution to the age-old dilemma of having limited pizza servings and a large volume of guests. The square cut option creates lots of smaller slices, which is ideal if you're serving the pie at school, work, or among a group of broke friends. And when you combine the square cut with a thin crust pie, you're replicating a classic tavern-style pizza. Originating in Chicago, tavern-style pies got their name because they were served in drinking establishments as a means of quick and convenient sustenance.

Papa John's is well-known for providing little extras with its pizza orders. For example, the chain includes a bonus pepperoncini with every pie, a practice inspired by (now-disgraced) founder John Schnatter's previous gig at his father's pub. The pizza shop also provides customers with a complimentary garlic dipping sauce, though you can score other flavors like blue cheese, ranch, Buffalo, and barbecue for a small fee. Along with these popular additions, we discovered some more extras customers can request with their pizzas.

The restaurant offers three flavors of seasoning packets to replicate the old-timey pizza shop experience. Flavors include crushed red pepper, Parmesan, and a special Italian seasoning blend containing garlic, paprika, onion, and parsley. Customers can also ask for additional pepperoncinis, as well as jalapeños, banana peppers, and even anchovies (which rank as one of the most controversial pizza toppings alongside pineapples and eggs). Papa John's charges $0.99 for most of its extras, except the crushed red pepper, which will cost you just $0.05 per packet.