Crisis at Papa John`s Pizza: Fall of John Schnatter

Schnatter started his entrepreneurial venture at the very young age of 8, when he founded a grass-cutting company with his younger brother. At 12, he started a gutter-painting startup. At the age of 15, he started working as a dishwasher at Ricky’s Sub Pub, a pizza restaurant in Jeffersonville Indiana. There, he eventually started making pizzas. That experience inspired him to open a pizza restaurant of his own. After completing his studies, Schnatter started managing his father’s pub, Mick’s Lounge, which was running at a loss. Schnatter didn’t like the bar business but loved running the business. Finally, in 1984, he started selling pizzas out of the back of the bar. In 1985, the first Papa John’s restaurant was opened in Jeffersonville. In 1986, Papa John’s sold its first franchise. In 1991, the pizza chain opened its 100th restaurant in Clarksville, Tennessee. The firm went public in 1993 and was listed as “PZZA” on NASDAQ. ..