Land O’ Lakes couple receives pizza order calls after number mix-up

PASCO COUNTY, Fla. (WFLA) – When Elliot and Andy Strauss hear their phone ring, they take a good look at the caller ID.

Most of the time, they don’t answer. “We would know because the call would come in; two minutes later, the same number would call. And (we) would pick it up and say, ‘Are you looking for Papa John’s? Okay well here is their number,'” Andy Strauss explained.

There is only one Papa John’s in their area, a few miles away on Land O’ Lakes Boulevard.

If you do a Google search for “Papa John’s near me,” the Strauss’ number pops up. People call to order pizzas almost every night. “Especially in football season. Sunday afternoon it’s like call after call after call. Saturday night, ya know, it’s annoying,” Elliot Strauss said.

The Google listings show a Papa John’s at this location that doesn’t exist. Another one shown up the road is also gone.

Elliot Strauss called the nearby store, and someone promised a fix.

Corporate Papa John’s in Louisville didn’t help, the couple told News Channel 8. “Corporate sloughed it right back on us. Knowing what they knew, and it was a bother for us,” Andy Strauss said.

8 On Your Side did some digging and discovered a Lakeland marketing firm that promised to change the listing. The marketing firm is called Jordan, Nichols, Elliot. The company’s vice president of marketing promised to follow up.

The couple has had the same number for more than six years so they don’t want to change it.

No matter how you slice it, Elliot and Andy are still Papa John’s fans. “I think they make great pizza. To tell you the truth, I do,” Andy Strauss said.

Papa John’s issued the following statement and said they plan to send the family some free pizza cards:

“Thanks for bringing this issue to our attention. This number was formerly associated with a Papa John’s franchise location which is no longer in service. The number was mistakenly published to three mapping sites: Google, Bing and MapQuest. While no formal complaint was submitted to our corporate customer service team, we’ve taken immediate action to remove these listings and resolve the issue. We’d like to apologize to the family for the inconvenience.”