Papa John's could close hundreds of stores if sales don't rise

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

Discounted pizzas and financial aid for franchisees aren't doing much to curb Papa John's sales woes.

According to recent checks by Stifel, Papa John's same-store sales remain under pressure in the third quarter and, if they do not improve, store closures won't be far behind.

In July, same-store sales at the beleaguered pizza chain plunged 10.5 percent after it came to light that Papa John's founder had used a racially charged slur on a conference call. That trend continued in August.

So far in the third quarter, same-store sales are estimated to be down 10 to 11 percent, according to analyst Chris O'Cull.

"We are surprised the company's aggressive promotions the past several weeks have not curtailed the sales declines and we believe if the trend persists that it could lead to accelerating store closures during the next six months," O'Cull wrote in a research note Thursday.

O'Cull predicts that between 150 and 250 restaurants in noncore markets, the West Coast and Northeast, could be in danger of shuttering if Papa John's is unable to reignite its sales.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/companies/papa-johns-could-close-hundreds-of-stores-if-sales-dont-rise/ar-BBN0c3C?li=BBnb7Kz

[edhopper]

1. Backlash to Papa John

being a Trumpster asswhole?

Or the fact their pizza sucks.

[Wounded Bear]

9. The two facts are not mutually exclusive...

[katmondoo]

2. Terrible pizza

watching kids putting a pizza together turned me off forever, who knows what they do with it.

[UncleTomsEvilBrother]

3. MAGA John, the Founder,

...still owns a nice percentage of the company. A great PR campaign would be to ensure that 10% ownership all existing franchises around the country become Black-owned franchises.

The pizza is mediocre, but I think the company can be salvaged with a sensible gesture towards addressing his racism.

[magicarpet]

4. HA ! Nazi.

[A HERETIC I AM]

5. Damn. He might have to sell his home ON a golf course...

For one merely NEAR one

[MineralMan]

6. Good. It's crappy pizza, anyhow.

No loss to any community.

[jberryhill]

7. Womp womp

The economy is doing great - bigly!

[cynatnite]

8. Good for him, but bad for the employees. n/t

[Wounded Bear]

10. Don't think I ever ate it, but I hear is sux...

[Different Drummer]

39. You hear correctly. n/t

[procon]

11. Maybe he should ask Trump to do a commercial. nt

[Freethinker65]

12. I don't really care, do u? Actually it sucks for employees

Franchise owners should have known the founder was an asshole just waiting to be exposed.

[crazycatlady]

13. You can get better pizza at a locally owned shop

[Guilded Lilly]

14. Go choke on your crappy dough.

[obamanut2012]

15. They are also BY FAR the worst chain izza

Only Pizza Hut sucks more. A lot of local places deliver now, too, but even if you don;t have one that does, Howie's, Marco's, and Domino's are way better than Papa John's. We usually get use a local place, but when we can't, we get Howie's or Domino's (who has really improved the last few years).

And, forget the wingnutness -- their "Papa John" is a very public and well-known drunken dude bro.

[LuvNewcastle]

27. I agree.

Even politics aside, Papa John's should be on their knees thanking Whomever that they've made it this far. There must be divine intervention involved. Who buys that shit?

[redstatebluegirl]

16. Well, it clearly works to back Trump and killing animals.

[madinmaryland]

17. Shitty pizza. Nuff said.

[Iggo]

18. Bye.

[Power 2 the People]

19. Schnatter and his right-wing greed comes home to roost.

It's a shame that good people who own his franchises are being hurt. Hopefully they can take them private and just be a neighborhood pizza place. No royalties to those corporate scumbags.

[Voltaire2]

20. Bad bad pizza go bye bye.

[lunasun]

21. Bye Papa

[sarcasmo]

22. Pepe Johns deserves this Karma.

[jmowreader]

23. You know what would really piss this guy off?

Restaurant supply stores sell all the ingredients you need to become a local pizza shop...they have canned sauce that's better than Schnatter's, frozen dough balls that are better than Schnatter's, preshredded cheese, presliced meats and veggies...these guys all know how to make a pizza, so what would be tripleplusgood is if the people who he cut off from the Papa John's system changed the name on the door and saw their sales increase.

[JuJuYoshida]

24. You know who stepped up their game 100%?? DOMINOS

[Brother Buzz]

25. Herman Cain, please pick up the nearest white courtesy telephone.

[JesterCS]

26. Their pizza sucks anyway. n/t

[Blue_true]

29. I tried one of their pizzas once after seeing the commercials a few years back.

Worst pizza that I have ever bought. Pizza slices at the ballpark is better.

[Tarheel_Dem]

28. Whatever. Awful pizza. Awful company. n/t

[dembotoz]

30. A franchise was considered the safer restaurant to open

Great way to loose ur family savings.
Used to sell advertising to small business owners...
Lots of fanchises are own by independent owners.
When Jared decided to perv out and this clown decided to go full asshole, lots of families lost their shirts.

[Freddie]

33. Local shopping center had a Subway and a Papa John's

Next to each other. Both gone, now empty stores. Nice couple from my church owned the Papa John’s before all the crap about his politics came out. I had it 2x, awful pizza - just sauce and cheese on bread, flavors didn’t “meld” like good pizza does. It lasted maybe a year. Subway was there a long time (15 years?), one day I drove by and it was gone too.

[USALiberal]

31. Good! nt

[Downtown Hound]

32. Thoughts and prayers.

[WestIndianArchie]

34. Wonderful news

I'll never buy papa johns pizza

[JI7]

35. it's the pizza that's the problem.

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

36. Have they considered making pizza? nt

[Initech]

37. This is what happens when you spout unpopular opinions!

Ask Roseanne and John Schnatter. No love lost!

[Botany]

38. As I wait for my local pizza shop to pick up 2-night ..

Last edited Fri Sep 7, 2018, 10:28 PM - Edit history (1)

... I feel good. Dantes Pizza in Clintonville (Columbus) Ohio.

I have had about 2 or 3 Papa John's pizzas in my life and they sucked.

[keithbvadu2]

40. Papa John's has it's loyal Nazi supporters

https://www.democraticunderground.com/10141945182

What happens when neo-Nazis hijack your brand

https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/what-happens-when-nazis-hijack-your-brand/2017/11/16/8871c7ba-c98f-11e7-8321-481fd63f174d_story.html?utm_term=.5bd8c1cfc790&wpisrc=nl_most&wpmm=1
.
“We were going to order from the local place where we get pizza all the time, but we said no, Papa John’s is the official pizza of the alt-right now,” said Eli Mosley, the 26-year-old leader of the white separatist group Identity Evropa. “We’re just supporting the brands that support us.”
.
http://www.newsweek.com/papa-johns-tells-nazis-dont-buy-our-pizza-after-chain-claimed-official-pie-alt-702296


The Daily Stormer posted a picture of a swastika pizza after the CEO of official NFL sponsor Papa Johns blamed his company’s recent losses on players kneeling during the national anthem to protest police brutality.
.

[ooky]

43. That ought to really help them sell more.

"Buy our pizzas. Nazi's love 'em."

[Laura PourMeADrink]

41. Pizza sucked 20 years ago..without a palate

[ooky]

42. I don't like their pizza

so I can't say I'm surprised. Tried it once and never went back. It was basically tomato sauce on cardboard. I would rather save my money and eat grocery store pizza than eat Papa Johns. Even if they weren't Nazi lovers.

[lindysalsagal]

44. It'll be up to elementary schools to provide papa j's

Actually, school pizza is usually better....

[Beaverhausen]

45. Sad to see so many here celebrating a lot of people losing jobs

The head of the company will be fine.

[Initech]

46. I don't have a problem with the company. My problem is with Papa John himself.

He's a Trump loving horse's ass.