Papa John's Pizza

Papa Johns is a global pizza chain founded in 1984 by John Schnatter in Jeffersonville, Indiana, who sold his 1971 Camaro Z28 to buy $1,600 in used pizza equipment and set up an oven in a broom closet of his father's tavern in Jeffersonville, Indiana.

Schnatter sold his prized 1971 Chevrolet Camaro for $2,800, using $1,600 to buy used pizza equipment. After outgrowing the broom closet in Mick's Lounge, he opened the first standalone Papa John's restaurant next door in 1985. He differentiated his brand through fresh dough, vine-ripened tomatoes, and the now-iconic garlic dipping sauce. The company started franchising in 1986, moving its headquarters to Louisville, Kentucky, by 1989.

Papa John's became a publicly traded company in 1993, raising roughly $12 million. Fueled by low franchise startup costs, the chain expanded rapidly, hitting 1,000 stores by 1996 and 2,000 stores by 1999. Schnatter positioned himself as the central face of the brand in commercials and on pizza boxes.

In 2002, Papa John's became the first national pizza chain with a nationwide online ordering system. The brand secured a massive multi-year deal as the official pizza sponsor of the National Football League (NFL) in 2010, leveraging star athletes like Peyton Manning.

Founder John Schnatter resigned as chairman following public backlash over controversial remarks made during a conference call. Shaquille O'Neal joined the board of directors in 2019 to help steady public relations and reshape brand image. Led by CEO Todd Penegor, the brand operates thousands of locations globally under its revised corporate governance.