Street chef enters kitchen to open NW's first Papa John's! Friday 25th January Papa John’s Pizza has kicked-off its radical North West expansion plans in style by unveiling its flagship store in Sale, Greater Manchester – with the help of a local TV heart-throb. The opening of the company owned and run store signals the beginning of a huge investment drive in the area – and a special ‘chef’ was on hand to give his seal of approval. Coronation Street’s Tom Hudson, who plays Chef Paul Clayton in the soap, made an appearance in the Papa John’s kitchen to the delight of the store chiefs and customers.

The Sale store is just step one of the company’s plan for the region as it targets the opening of 14 outlets across the Greater Manchester conurbation over the next 18 months.

UK managing director Ian Saunders said he could not think of a better celebrity to help open the Sale store.

He said: “It was great to have Tom in our kitchen and see his culinary skills when it came to making pizzas. He may pretend to be a chef in the soap but after seeing him in action I’m happy to offer him a job at Papa John’s should it not work out in Wetherfield!
 
“There has been a real buzz around Papa John’s in the UK over the last few months and this opening is a vital piece in the jigsaw as we look to expand in the UK.

“Tom is one of TV’s most instantly recognisable characters at the moment with the massive storyline around Vera Duckworth’s (his character’s grandmother) death, and if we can make the same impression as he has done on soap fans this year, we will be delighted.