When the founder of Papa John’s was discovered using a racial slur, he lost his company. After the making of a recording in which Schnatter clearly uses the N-word on a marketing call became public, John Schnatter resigned from his position. Since then, the firm has tried to distance itself from Schnatter and all of the negative attention that he brought to the restaurant chain. Now, Papa John’s Pizza has unveiled a new logo and a subtle name change intended to remove any traces of Schnatter’s connection to the brand.
Papa John’s has a new logo and name, which it says is a step toward a brighter future for the struggling firm. Since Schnatter’s racist comment brought Papa John’s into the spotlight, the company has been trying to stay ahead of the bad press surrounding it. However, the firm believes that by rebranding and redesigning its logo and name, it will be able to enter a new era of pizza production that will make new consumers happy.
The name change is rather simple. The restaurant chain will now be known as Papa John’s, instead of Papa John’s Pizza. The name was modified merely by removing the apostrophe from the name, which indicates that there are more than one John associated with the business. This grammatical modification allows the firm to distance itself from its scandalous connection to Schnatter and his racism.
The company was founded by John Schnatter in Jeffersonville, Indiana. However, it has since relocated its headquarters to Louisville, Kentucky. But Schnatter won’t be there for long. The firm recently revealed plans to establish a new global headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia.
“We’re thrilled to open a headquarters office in such an energetic and diverse region,” said CEO Rob Lynch of the Atlanta HQ. “Metro Atlanta’s deep talent pool and its world-class airport connecting us to the domestic and international markets that are key to our brand’s future will accelerate our long-term growth.”
In addition, the pizza company sold some of its Kentucky real estate. Because they intend to relocate their business and build a hospital in Georgia, they opted to sell the available property to Baptist Health so that it might establish a future hospital there.
“The loyalty and love people have for Papa Johns have been built on our well-known promise of Better Ingredients. Better Pizza — and today, we are signaling to the world that Papa Johns is ‘Hungry for Better,’” stated Papa Johns’ chief commercial officer, Max Wetzel. “We are evolving how the Papa Johns experience comes to life across all touchpoints while remaining true to what got us where we are today and bringing to life our continued aspirations to improve and grow. This new experience is both a celebration of our tremendous momentum and a vision to inspire future growth.”
In the press release, Papa John’s claimed that these modifications were being made in order to commemorate their success and bright future. The company is hoping that by altering its name slightly, it will be able to shed the negative connotations linked with Schnatter’s racist statements.
