Papa John's is an international pizza chain that got its start in Jeffersonville, Indiana, and is now headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky. After Pizza Hut and Domino's, Papa John's is the third-largest pizza chain in America.
Papa John
John Schnatter, the man who would become better known as Papa John, grew up in Jeffersonville and attended Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana. He holds a degree in business administration. Schnatter started working in the restaurant business at the age of 15, holding a part-time job at Rocky's Sub Pub. Throughout college, he worked at Greek's Pizzeria in Muncie, where he learned part of his eventual trade.
Beginnings
Schnatter first began his pizzeria in the broom closet of his father's bar, the Mick Lounge, in the early 1980s. After selling his car, Schnatter bought some used restaurant equipment and set up shop, turning a small profit that gradually grew. Eventually, when he was making more than $3,000 a week (more than the amount of money it had cost to make the broom closet suitable as a kitchen), he was able to move next door and build the first Papa John's restaurant.
Ingredients
Papa John's motto, "Better Ingredients. Better Pizza," refers to its practice of not sacrificing quality for price, advertising the use of fresh vegetables and ingredients. As a result, Papa John's pizza is a bit pricier than that of its competitors. Papa John's also prides itself on using fresh dough rather than frozen. One of the more iconic Papa John's garnishes, the peperoncini pepper included with most pizzas, is not only unique, but has increased American demand many times over. According to Food Network's Unwrapped, Papa John's has caused a shortage in the world market.
Competition
Pizza Hut, the No. 1 pizza chain, and Domino's, No. 2, are Papa John's main competitors. Pizza Hut has a larger market presence (around 34,000 worldwide locations) and Domino's has lower prices, so Papa John's often cites its quality. While Pizza Hut once sued Papa John's over its trademark (claiming that fresher ingredients did not necessarily make a pizza better), Pizza Hut lost on appeal. Also, in 2008 Papa John's placed No. 1 in the American Customer Satisfaction Index released by the University of Michigan Business School for the ninth straight year; this figured highly in its advertising for some time.
Papa John's Today
There are almost 3,000 Papa John's restaurants in the United States and more than 500 elsewhere (including a hundred each in the U.K. and China). Papa John's pizza can be found in more than 30 countries and is also the only pizza served at Six Flags theme parks.
Tags: Papa John, more than, pizza chain, broom closet, Domino Papa, Domino Papa John
