Papa John's announced today it has reached – and passed – the 50-percent digital sales milestone, claiming to be the first pizza chain in the U.S. to do so.

Additionally, Papa John's announced that it will now begin accepting Google Wallet Instant Buy as a payment method for delivery and carry-out orders placed through the Android app. Customers simply press the "Buy with Google" button at checkout to complete their order.

"Technology has made it easier for customers to order and we've seen this have a significant impact on consumer engagement. Less time answering phones empowers employees to focus on the quality of the pizza and making customers happy," Founder/CEO John Schnatter said in a news release. "We've been taking orders digitally for almost 15 years, perfecting the ordering process."

Papa John's first began offering digital ordering at all of its U.S. delivery restaurants in 2001. It launched SMS text ordering in 2007, a digital rewards program – Papa Rewards – in 2010, and recently began offering mobile gift cards.

"We are constantly being pushed by our visionary founder to track and respond to customer ordering habits, and reaching this 50-percent milestone and accepting Google Wallet Instant Buy is another way that we are giving customers what they want," said CMO Bob Kraut.