In the classic 1979 comedy, The Jerk, Navin Johnson (comedian Steve Martin) excitedly chats with his date Marie (played by Bernadette Peters) about the ridiculous meal they’re eating: Cup O’ Pizza. Who would ever think of eating pizza out of a bowl? Absurd, right?

As they say, sometimes life imitates art.

To get people excited about pizza again, Papa Johns is offering a new spin on the classic, with Papa Bowls that are all topping — no crust. https://t.co/JeQWC4TkAu

— CNN (@CNN) August 17, 2022

(Note: “Papa Johns” isn’t a typo. The company officially changed its name from Papa John’s recently.)

CNN Business reports:

Papa Johns’ sales are still up, but growth is slowing. In the second quarter, sales at its North American restaurants open at least a year grew just under 1%, down from 5% in the the same period last year. In the second quarter of 2020, sales jumped 28%.

…

To get people excited about pizza again, Papa Johns is offering a new spin on the classic, with Papa Bowls that are all topping — no crust.

The Papa Bowl comes in three varieties, Garden Veggie, Chicken Alfredo and Italian Meats Trio. They are available to the company’s loyalty members this week and will roll out nationally next, and cost $7.99.

Now, CNN’s writer quotes one of the pizza company’s executives as making a guess that people are getting tired of pizza — that’s why the sales slump for the national chain.

No, people are not getting tired of pizza. Pizza is one of the best, most enticing foods that exist on planet Earth. Americans simply have no surplus in their household budgets right now, or expendable income, in the form of pandemic checks from the federal government, to splurge on meals for take-out or delivery. More people are cooking and eating at home, thanks to Joe Biden and his administration’s reckless mismanagement of one of the strongest U.S. economies in decades leading to raging inflation.

That said, let’s give CNN a half-credit point for getting close to the likely reason here:

But companies have to be strategic when they make changes, especially now with supply chains disrupted and large swings in ingredient prices.

Will you and your family buy from this new Papa Bowl line at Papa Johns? The answer, at least for me, is no. That’s because, since I try to keep the keto way of eating, I kinda already make something like this when I crave pizza. Give it a try–and save yourself some money.