Papa John’s founder ‘getting the truth out there’

Papa John’s International’s founder, blocked from the pizza chain’s headquarters amid a deepening dispute with the rest of the board, is betting that franchisees and workers will have his back.

John Schnatter, who resigned last month as chairman, took out a fullpage ad in the company’s hometown paper, the Courier Journal in Louisville, Ky., to direct employees to a website he’s launched called SavePapaJohns.com. Papa John’s has about 120,000 workers worldwide, including those at its franchises.

“The Board wants to silence me,” Schnatter, 56, wrote on the website, which includes copies of legal documents in his fight with the pizza company. “So this is my website, and my way to talk to you.”

The website is part of Schnatter’s bid for new leadership at the chain, which is struggling with declining sales and controversies related to his comments. Schnatter came under pressure after a July media report that he used a racial slur and descriptions of violence against minorities on a call with a media agency. He admitted to using the slur but said he was taken out of context.

Months earlier, he had exited the chief executive officer job over critical comments about the National Football League’s national-anthem controversy. He’s since said he regrets resigning.

“Papa John’s is our life’s work and we will all get through this together somehow, some way,” Schnatter says on the website. “I can only imagine how difficult this entire situation is on you, and I’m very sorry you all have to go through this.”

While Schnatter is appealing to the company’s workers and franchisees, some restaurant owners have taken action to distance themselves from the founder. Franchisee groups across Florida issued statements last month stating they “do not share the same sentiments as the founder of Papa John’s.” Others have reported declines in sales.