Papa John’s Pizza was founded by John Schnatter, who started his pizza career at Rocky’s Sub Pub in Jeffersonville, Indiana.  He was going to the high school there at the time and when he attended Ball State University he worked as a delivery driver for Greek’s Pizzeria in Muncie, Indiana.  In 1984 he was working for his father at a bar called Mick’s Lounge when he sold his car to buy out the other owner of the bar.  This was the first place he ever served his pizza.  John opened the first Papa John’s in 1984 and it has been steadily growing ever since.  There are now over 3,500 restaurants in all 50 states and in 29 different countries. 

The Papa John’s Pizza menu started off to be very simple, but as the time has gone by and the industry has changed they have expanded their menu to include different crusts and different sides as well.  They are well-known for serving pizza made with fresh ingredients and they still have a commitment to Better Ingredients and Better Pizza.  This was what they were founded on and they still use the same fresh ingredients for the sauce, dough, and toppings that they make their pizza with.

Papa John’s Pizza offers many areas for restaurant franchise growth and they require a franchisee to have a minimum of $50,000 in liquid assets and a minimum net worth of $150,000.  They also have to be able to obtain $200,000 in financing in order to start a franchise.  They should have at least one partner with a successful business background and this person has to qualify as the Principle Operator.  The initial franchise fee is $25,000 per unit and the ongoing royalties are paid monthly at 5% of the net sales.  They also require a minimum of 7% of the net monthly sales to be spent for marketing.  This includes both the national marketing fund and the local marketing.