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About Papa John’s

History

In 1983, John Schnatter finished his business degree from Ball State University and traveled back to his home state of Jeffersonville, Indiana. There, at the age of 22, he knocked down the broom closet of his father’s tavern (Mick’s Lounge), purchased $1600 worth of used restaurant equipment, and began delivering pizzas out the back of the bar. From day one, John knew he could make a better pizza by using fresh dough and superior-quality ingredients, and he refused to sway from that commitment to quality. It worked, and people loved his pizza. In 1984, John opened his first Papa John’s restaurant and it has continued to spread across the globe since. Today, Papa John’s is one of the most recognized leaders of the pizza industry, with multiple franchises and more than 3,500 restaurants in 30 countries around the world. In 2004, Pat McDonagh, founder of Supermac’s, spotted an opportunity in the Irish market for a high quality, traditional pizza offering. Having experienced Papa John’s on business trips to the U.S, Pat was confident Papa John’s was the only pizza he wanted to serve in his restaurants and thus a partnership was born between Papa John’s and Supermac’s. Today, Supermac’s holds the master franchise for Papa John’s on the island of Ireland and to date has opened over 85 Papa John’s outlets within existing Supermac’s stores around the country.

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