Papa John's founder says he ate more than 40 pizzas in 30 days and 'it's not the same product'
Former chairman says 'day of reckoning will come' for pizza chain
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Papa John’s founder and former chairman John Schnatter has accused the pizza chain of changing its recipe after he tried “over 40 pizzas in the last 30 days” and claimed it’s “not the same pizza”.
In a new interview with WDRB News, Schnatter said: “I’ve had over 40 pizzas in the last 30 days, and it’s not the same pizza. It’s not the same product. It just doesn’t taste as good.
“The way they are making the pizza, the way they are putting the pizza together, is just not fundamentally sound to what makes a Papa John’s pizza a Papa John’s pizza.”
According to Schnatter, who resigned from the company as chairman in July 2018 after it was reported he used a racial slur during a conference call, the quality of the pizza isn’t the only thing that has declined since his removal.
Discussing the company’s decision to alert the public to Schnatter’s use of the n-word, the former chairman said: “I never dreamed that people that I cared about, that I loved, that I made multi-millionaires, would do what they did.”
During the interview, Schnatter named certain executives including Steve Ritchie, Olivia Kirtley and Mark Shapiro, and accused them of stealing the company from him.
“They’ve hurt people that wake up every day and make this company great. I mean, it’s a miserable place over there… They’re losing all of their good people.”
Schnatter also alleged that the pizza chain’s executives and board of directors “fabricated” the report, despite previously admitting to using the slur and apologising.
“They fabricated it,” he said. “Shame on them.”
According to Schnatter, a “the day of reckoning will come” for the company that he founded 35 years ago and “the record will be straight”.
In response to the interview, many viewers could not get past the idea that Schnatter had consumed more than 40 Papa John’s pizzas in a month.
“I hope Papa John is okay. That’s a lot of pizza,” one person wrote.
Another said: “Papa John was sweating garlic sauce in that interview.”
The Independent has contacted Papa John's for comment.
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