Freshers’ Week is coming in hot, and so is Papa Johns, as it brings back its cult-favourite Tandoori range – curry sauce-topped pizzas with Tandoori chicken or Bombay potatoes – just in time for late-night cravings, post-party munchies, and flatmate bonding over spicy, curried pizza slices.
Back by popular demand, the highly anticipated return comes as almost half of students (45%) agree that pizza and Indian would be their dream culinary combo, with students at the University of Birmingham, Brunel University of London & Manchester Metropolitan topping the charts. When it comes to the dream dish, over half (54%) say they’d love to spice up their pizzas with Tandoori Chicken, and a devoted one in five (18%) would even opt for a topping of Bombay Potatoes – because why choose between pizza or curry, when you can have both?
To celebrate the start of university, Papa Johns is bringing back this fan favourite bigger and better, by dishing it out for free to students.
A study of 1,000 university students revealed their strong love for takeaways, with 61% saying they’d rather ditch the gin and never drink again than give up their favourite takeaway meals.
Which makes sense given that, for eight in 10 (83%) students, cooking goes out the window at Uni, with takeaways ordered more than when at home. While some people may see a takeaway as a treat, for students it’s clearly fuel as eight in 10 (78%) students admit to ordering in at least once a week, with one in five (18%) ordering three to four takeaways a week – spending an average of £30.50 per takeaway, which can total up to a whopping £488 a month.
With students at the University of Birmingham, Brunel University London, and Manchester Metropolitan University topping the list, Papa Johns is rewarding new students at these universities with free Tandoori pizzas during Freshers’ Week.
Rebecca Carroll, Marketing Director at Papa Johns said: “We know Freshers’ Week is a whirlwind of new experiences – but some things never change, like students’ love for a good takeaway. Our research shows that pizza and Indian cuisines are the ultimate pairing for many students, so bringing back our Tandoori range is about giving devoted fans the bold flavours they crave. We’re passionate about using top-quality ingredients and pushing flavour innovation, and we’re thrilled to revive a true cult favourite to fuel everything from late-night study sessions to flatmate pizza parties.”
The Tandoori range returns nationwide, and includes:
Tandoori Spice Pizza – Curry base sauce, topped with tandoori chicken, onion, green peppers and red chillies and a mint yoghurt drizzle
Bombay Spice Pizza (v) – Curry base sauce, topped with tandoori potato tots, onion, green peppers, red chillies and a mint yoghurt drizzle
Tandoori Chicken Poppers – Tandoori-spiced crispy chicken breast chunks with a choice of one dip
Tandoori Chicken Wings – Chicken wings coated in a tandoori spice
Tandoori Potato Tots – Oven-baked tandoori spiced potato tots with a choice of one dip
To be in with the chance of getting their hands on a free small Tandoori pizza, students at the most devoted universities can sign up at www.papajohns.co.uk/students with their university email address between Thursday 4th September and Monday 22nd September 2025.
They’ll then be able to redeem their pizza between Monday 22nd and Friday 26th September 2025 at participating restaurants, just in time for Freshers’.
Not a student? Medium pizzas at www.papajohns.co.uk are just £10, so give it a try today.
