About Papa John

PAPA'S STORY

EARLY LIFE

From an early age, Schnatter watched with respect and admiration how his late father, Robert Schnatter, and his late grandfather, Louis Ackerson, handled themselves in business and in their respective legal careers. They were not only his mentors, they were the biggest fans of his seemingly endless stamina and determination.

John’s father had been a judge and prosecutor in Jeffersonville and had several business ventures in addition to Mick’s Lounge, where John sold his first pizza. While only modestly successful in business, his father was tenacious and had the guts to never quit. John’s grandfather was also a business owner and attorney. “Papaw” Ackerson taught John the importance of maintaining a strong work ethic and perfecting his craft.. Today, those remain signature elements of the Papa John’s philosophy.

PAPA JOHN'S PIZZA

In 1983, John Schnatter delivered his last college campus pizza, received his business degree from Ball State University and headed home to Jeffersonville, Indiana. There, at age 22, he knocked down a broom closet in his father’s tavern, installed an oven and began delivering pizza out of the back of the bar.

But success didn’t come without sacrifice — when his father’s tavern was struggling to stay afloat, Schnatter decided to sell his beloved Chevrolet Camaro just to save the family business. Thanks to John’s dedication and years of hard work, a small tavern transformed into a restaurant company that would eventually grow to over 5,000 stores in 45 countries, all focused on the idea of “Better Ingredients. Better Pizza.”

IMPORTANT DATES

1984 – John converts a broom closet into a pizza kitchen
1985 – 1st Papa John’s opens in Jeffersonville, Indiana
1986 – Papa John’s sells its 1st franchise (store #9)
1991 – Papa John’s 100th restaurant opening
1993 – Papa John’s files IPO
1994 – Papa John’s 500th restaurant opening
1994 – Papa John’s ranked #1 of best-run small companies by Business Week
1995 – Papa John’s ranked 10th by Forbes in list of the nation’s 200 best small companies
1997 – Papa John’s ranked #1 in Restaurants and Institutions Choice in Chains survey
1998 – Papa John’s tops $1 billion in system-wide restaurant sales
1998 – First international store opened in Mexico City
1999 – Papa John’s 2,000th restaurant opening
2001 – Papa John’s becomes 1st pizza chain to offer online ordering at all traditional restaurants
2008 – Papa John’s tops $1 billion in cumulative e-commerce sales
2010 – Papa John’s tops $2 billion in cumulative e-commerce sales
2010 – Papa John’s becomes the Official Pizza Sponsor of the NFL and the Super Bowl
2012 – Go Left Leadership Development Training launches
2013 – International store 1,000 opens
2015 – Digital Sales exceed 50% of all restaurant sales for first time ever
2015 – Launch of Papa Cares, Papa John’s onsite health clinic
2016 – Papa John’s becomes the official pizza of the MLB
2016 – Ranked #1 in the American Customer Satisfaction Index for 15 of last 17 years
2016 – Papa John’s 5,000th restaurant opening

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