OneRare — the gamified self-proclaimed foodie metaverse — announced Friday that Papa John’s is launching NFTs in the metaverse for the first time. This marks the first partnership OneRare has announced with a national chain and will officially launch on Tuesday, with pizza-themed NFTs available for minting globally. The first NFT launch is in partnership with Papa John’s United Arab Emirates, but will be available for players to collect anywhere.
Members of the OneRare community will be able to collect digital ingredients to create virtual versions of one of three popular Papa Johns pizzas primarily available in the Middle East, specifically the UAE – Super Papas Pizza (extra mozzarella, pepperoni, ham, sausage, onions, ham, sausage, peppers, olives), Spicy Chicken Ranch pizza (chicken, mushrooms, jalapenos, tomatoes and Ranch sauce), and vegan “Sheese” Garden Special pizza (vegetable pizza with plant-based cheese made with coconut oil) – and start earning rewards. There will be multiple copies of each pizza available, so users don’t have to worry too much about having to race to collect a unique digital token.
“We are committed to being at the forefront and exploring innovative technologies such as NFTs and Web3.0,” Tapan Vaidya, Papa John’s managing director for UAE, Saudi Arabia and Jordan, said in a statement. “This not only places our brand at the forefront of the industry, but also helps us capture the attention and loyalty of the next generation of consumers, who are eager for cutting-edge experiences.”
Through the partnership, Papa Johns fans will gain an insight into the history and inner workings of the brand, especially as they will get a glimpse of some of the most popular international pizza recipes. Like Starbucks and other brands that have entered the metaverse, Papa John’s plans to make this more of a loyalty experience, with plans for real-world applications of the digital tokens soon.
“These particular NFTs are going to have their main use in our gameplay, but the holders of these NFTs will become part of the community and will be introduced to future benefits as we continue to build,” said OneRare founder Supreet Raju to NRN. “NFTs offer an amazing feature of real ownership and allow loyalty programs for holders of NFTs, and we are working with our brand partners to bring these benefits. One day soon, we hope to allow these NFTs to be exchanged for real meals at restaurants.”
Users interested in accessing Papa John’s NFTs can sign up for OneRare through their Google account or social media, OneRare offers a simplified social login with Gmail and social media over on the OneRare Kitchen, which is built on the Polygon blockchain.
Right now, OneRare excels in the gamification aspect of the NFT collection, turning mobile gaming into interactive virtual reality worlds. In the past, OneRare has said that in the future it will partner with restaurant brands to offer digital experiences such as cooking or wine classes to OneRare members who would otherwise never be able to visit the restaurant in person.
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