After Forbes reported the incident on Wednesday, Papa John’s founder John Schnatter apologized for using the N-word during a conference call.
When “Papa” John Schnatter added an oven to the back of his father’s bar, Mick’s Lounge, in Jeffersonville, Indiana, in 1984, the first Papa John’s restaurant there officially opened.
Then, he sold his 1971 Camaro Z28 and used the proceeds to pay $1,600 for used pizza equipment, which he used to start his own pizza business out of a converted closet.
In 1993, the business went public. It opened 500 stores the next year and 1,500 by 1997.
After posting a reward of $250,000 for the Camaro in 2009, Schnatter ultimately decided to purchase it back.
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Why Is Papa John Called Racist?
After Forbes magazine published an article on the incident on Wednesday, John Schnatter, the founder of Papa John’s, confessed to using the N-word in a conference call in May and apologized.
Colonel Sanders allegedly called black people n——-s, according to Schnatter, who also bemoaned the fact that the founder of KFC never faced backlash for his comments on the National Football League during a call with the marketing Company Laundry Service.
Schnatter used the exchange as a dry run for potential PR slip-ups in the future. Schnatter said in a statement released by Papa John’s.
“Regardless of the context, I apologize. Simply stated, racism has no place in our society.”
Schnatter also discussed his early years in Indiana, where he said that residents there used to drag African-Americans from vehicles until they died.
Despite his apparent desire to use them to show his disapproval of racism, several callers found his statements offensive, according to a source familiar with the incident.
Why Did Schnatter Resign From Pizza Chain?
In a conference call in May, Papa John’s founder and prominent figure, John Schnatter, uttered the N-word.
In a letter sent to Forbes by email on Wednesday, Schnatter confirmed the event. On Wednesday night, he announced his resignation as Papa John’s chairman.
It was created as a role-playing exercise for Schnatter to help him avoid such public-relations blunders in the future.
Schnatter, 56, made the remarks during a drill planned after he caused a stir in November by attributing his Company’s bad sales to the uproar over NFL players’ protests against racial inequality.
Following his resignation as CEO, Schnatter continued to serve as the board’s chairman. In May 2018, he claimed—without offering any evidence—that Colonel Sanders had used the word “nigger” without incurring any criticism.
When the comment went public, Schnatter resigned, saying that the board conspired against him and unjustly drove him out of his post.
Brief About John Schnatter
John Hampton “Papa John” Schnatter is an American businessman who started the Papa John’s pizza restaurant chain in 1984. He was born on November 22 or 23, 1961.
After selling his car and using the profits to buy used restaurant equipment, Schnatter launched the Company in the back of his Father’s pub.
His net worth exceeded $1 billion as of 2017. In 2007, Schnatter established Calistoga Artisan Sandwiches as a Company.
He gave a $1 million donation to the Louisville Zoo’s Glacier Run development in 2008 in return for naming rights to a nearby water park for Calistoga.
In 2012, the Calistoga Company was largely shut down, but three of its Naples, Florida stores were still open.
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