Our Founder's Story

In 1984, John Schnatter delivered his last campus pizza, picked up his business degree from Ball State University and went home to Jeffersonville, Indiana. There, at the age of 22,he knocked down the broom closet in his father’s tavern, installed an oven and began delivering pizza out the back of the bar.
From day one, John believed he could make a better traditional pizza by using fresh dough and superior-quality ingredients.

Today Papa John’s remains focused on making superior quality pizzas along with a variety of other menu items, such as cheesesticks, chicken wings, soups, salads and pastas. John insists, "We place a great deal of emphasis on making signature products with quality ingredients and we always try to make them better than anyone else." Papa John's boasts over 3,000 restaurants around the world and has earned the praise of residents in every hometown.