# Celebrity-Branded Pizza Dishes Papa Johns Brought Back the 'Shaq-a-Roni' Pizza for a Limited Time By Colin Smith | Published 2022-10-21 | Pop Culture Source: Trend Hunter, https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/shaq-a-roni References: [brandeating](https://www.brandeating.com/2022/10/shaq-a-roni-pizza-returns-to-papa-johns-2022.html) & [papajohns](https://www.papajohns.ca/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=branded&gclid=Cj0KCQjw48OaBhDWARIsAMd966AbXlTqvicM22Fj_tEjlGMwvJxhq9vrXWu4U7pNOAIlTFjbFh85IqUaAgbKEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds) [Papa Johns](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/shaqaroni-stuffed-sticks) has brought back one of its most popular collaborative pizza offerings from 2020, the '[Shaq](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/shaqalicious-xl-gummies)-a-Roni.' This pizza was created with Shaquille O'Neal, the world renowned basketball player and entrepreneur. O'Neal is a board member and franchisee of Papa Johns, leading to him having a close connection to the restaurant chain. The Shaq-a-Roni is an [extra-large pepperoni pizza with extra cheese](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/triple-crown-pepperoni-pizza), extra pepperoni, and only eight slices. The slices are much larger than a traditional extra-large pizza from Papa Johns, with the justification being that these slices are "Shaq-Sized." The Shaq-a-Roni pizza is available now at participating Papa Johns locations through December 25th, 2022. It is important to note that $1 USD from each Shaq-a-Roni pizza sold during this time will be donated to The Papa John's Foundation for Building Community. Image Credit: Papa Johns ## Trend Insights (Trend Hunter) - Score: 2.9/10 - Popularity: 29% | Activity: 46% | Freshness: 13% - Audience gender: 50% men, 50% women - Primary generations: Gen Z, Millennial, Gen X - Top markets: North America ## Categories [Trend Hunter](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends) > [Pop Culture](https://www.trendhunter.com/popculture) > [Media](https://www.trendhunter.com/media) ## Key Themes ### What Makes This Trend Stand Out - **Celebrity Collaboration Pizzas:** The popularity of the Shaq-a-Roni pizza can inspire other pizza chains to collaborate with famous personalities to promote their brand and products. - **Limited-time Menu Items:** The success of bringing back the Shaq-a-Roni pizza for a limited time can encourage the restaurant industry to introduce more exclusive and time-limited menu items for customers. - **Cause-related Marketing Promotions:** The initiative to donate $1 USD from each Shaq-a-Roni pizza sold can motivate other food businesses to integrate cause-related marketing promotions into their marketing strategies. ### Sectors Adopting This - **Fast Food:** Fast food chains can explore collaborating with celebrities or introducing limited-time menu items to attract customers and stay competitive in the market. - **Cause-related Marketing:** Food businesses can leverage cause-related marketing to increase brand awareness, customer loyalty, and support a charitable cause at the same time. - **Entertainment:** Celebrity-branded food products can be a new untapped market for the entertainment industry to explore and expand their brand presence. ## Related on Trend Hunter - [Stuffed Pizza Sticks](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/shaqaroni-stuffed-sticks.md) - [Oversized Pizzeria Menu Items](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/the-grand-papa-pizza.md) - [Cup-Shaped Pepperoni Pizzas](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/papa-johns-1.md) - [Romantic Pizzeria Menu Items](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/papa-johns-heartshaped-pizza.md) - [Abundant Pepperoni Pizzas](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/triple-pepp.md) - [Meaty Football-Shaped Pizzas](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/football-pizza.md) - [Extra-Cheesy Pepperoni-Packed Pizzas](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/epic-pepperonistuffed-crust-pizza.md) - [Pepperoni-Filled Pizza Crusts](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/epic-pepperoni-stuffed-crust-pizza.md) - [Pepperoni-Crusted Pizza Sandwiches](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/pepperonicrusted-papadia.md)