• by Teresa Buyikian , Yesterday

Papa Johns just announced it was promoting Chris Lyn-Sue to global CMO. The announcement comes as the pizza chain continues to struggle, reporting global systemwide restaurant sales for Q2 2026 at $1.20 billion, a 4.8% decrease as compared with the prior year.

Lyn-Sue assumes the CMO role after serving as Papa Johns' senior vice president, general manager of international. He also previously held the interim CMO position for the brand in 2024. He replaces Jenna Bromberg, who will continue to serve “in an advisory capacity” through Aug. 28, according to a press release.

Before Papa Johns, Lyn-Sue held senior positions at Popeyes and Bacardi.

Papa Johns also announced John Matter as global chief development officer and assistant corporate secretary, a new position; Caroline Miller Oyler as chief legal and administrative officer; and Chris Phylactou as senior vice president, international.

The brand also reported that North America 2026 Q2 comparable sales decreased 8.3% from a year ago, with comparable sales from domestic company-owned restaurants down 8.9% and North America franchised restaurants down 8.2%.

“While our transformation is taking longer than anticipated, we continue to execute our strategy with discipline and focus and are seeing encouraging progress, including a growing and highly engaged Papa Rewards membership, supply chain savings, and AI-driven improvements to the customer ordering experience,” said Todd Penegor, president and CEO of Papa Johns.

While U.S. numbers were down, global is looking up: International comparable sales increased 1.5% as compared with the prior year's second quarter. The pizza chain also opened 50 new restaurants systemwide, with nine in North America and 41 in international markets.