Papa Johns Pizza — Restaurant in DeKalb Township

EDIT and UPDATE: It’s been a long time coming, but after 8 years I decided to give this beleaguered, woebegotten place another shot. I figure every decade or so everybody deserves a second chance. Reader, I do not think it will shock you to learn nothing has changed. I placed an order, and was told it would be ready in 35 minutes. I arrived 45 minutes later to be told that there were so many orders ahead of mine they couldn’t even see mine in the system and that they had no idea when my pizza would be ready. I left the store and waited for two and a half hours, only to learn when I checked back in that my order had been voided WITHOUT TELLING ME. At this point a manager offered to make me a new pizza and seemed genuinely surprised: 1) why I didn’t want a pizza that wouldn’t be ready until at least 11:00, almost 3 1/2 hours after my initial order (that is assuming it would even get made, much less accurately); 2) why I was angry about having my order unceremoniously canceled without informing me; 3) why I was angry that I was LIED to at the outset about the timeframe. Dude kept asking what I wanted. Friends, I merely want a pizza made accurately within a reasonable amount of time. If a company is so slammed by orders they cannot provide that then they should stop taking orders until they catch up, or at a bare minimum communicate clearly and honestly how long that order will take. This clown car, Mickey Mouse operation has never been capable of providing that, and I repent that I was foolish enough to try again. After that phone conversation I called the exact same order in to a big chain competitor. I picked it up 15 minutes later.

Papa Johns the company is, I think, perfectly fine. THIS particular branch of utter amateurs remains unworthy of your time or hard-earned money. My original review from 8 years ago stands. Stay away.

ORIGINAL REVIEW: I have been a regular at Papa John's locations in 5 states -- this is by far the worst Papa John's I've ever seen. When we moved here 14 years ago, there was a Papa John's near the present one -- it quickly lost our business. For a long time I didn't go near this one when it reappeared. Finally decided to give them another shot, mainly because I am weak for the garlic dipping sauce. 5 times we have ordered here this fall, and the last 4 were awful. Each time getting progressively worse. 90-minute to 2-hour wait for delivery with incorrect sizes. Delivery came later than promised, but with the entirely wrong order. Delivery came later than promised, with wrong beverages but the delivery person 'graciously' offered to run to the gas station and get us a 2-liter if we gave him some cash (we had paid for the pizza and 'wrong' 20 oz beverages with a credit card.) Tonight broke the camel's back -- placed a pickup order (learned our lesson on the delivery) that was promised ready in 30 minutes. Got to drive-up window around 40 minutes after placing order. I was told it was still in the oven and to sit tight, they'd bring it to me. I sat in their drive-up window, holding up their own traffic, for 35 minutes. At which point I was told that they had made the wrong pizza, but if I sit tight they'll make me a fresh one. Gobsmacked, I voided the order and left. I will not return. These guys are just bad at running a pizza place. I find Papa John's to be tasty pizza, but there is no excuse for 2-hour delivery times and a 1 for 5 record on getting an order right. I've been to every pizza joint in DeKalb/Sycamore -- locally-owned, big chains, everyone -- and nobody else takes 2 hours to deliver a pizza unless it's the Super Bowl, and nobody gets orders as staggeringly wrong with this kind of frequency. Literally any other pizza place would do a better job than these...

The service and pizza were both really good, and I enjoyed them a lot. However, there was one problem that stood out today. A customer ended up blocking the drive-through lane, which caused some inconvenience. It seemed like the staff could have asked this person to wait on the side instead of letting them block the way. This would have allowed other customers, especially those who had pre-ordered their food, to move through the line more smoothly and without having to wait unnecessarily. Unfortunately, this situation made the experience less pleasant than it could have been, and I didn't appreciate having to wait longer because of it. Overall, while the food and service were great, this particular issue with the drive-through was...

I've only ever had an issue with Papa John's once or twice out of all the times I have ordered and I order from them a lot amongst other places. I've never received a wrong order and the pizza is always cooked properly. I usually get the pizza in 30 minutes or slightly less. Sometimes during peak hours it will be 45 minutes for a delivery. On the rare chance I did have an issue with an order I've always gotten it taken care of in a polite manner and either refunded or given a voucher for free pizza or both. The toppings are good and taste fresh and I like their little seasoning packets and garlic dip. If I am not ordering from a local pizza place I get Papa John's. Good Pizza, good price. (I abuse those 50%...