Papa Johns will look a lot different in 2022, and they’re hoping that will attract new customers. The national pizza chain is undergoing a brand refresh—which will include a new logo and a new store design—after parting ways with company founder and former CEO John Schnatter.
John Schnatter, Papa Johns founder, resigned in 2018 amid controversy
According to Fox BusinessIn 2018, Schnatter, who was accused of being a liar, resigned from his position as Papa Johns CEO. “set up” by the company’s board of directors and executives from the marketing firm Laundry Service.
Schnatter was accused in a controversy over using a racial slur on a conference call. But after a third-party investigation conducted by former FBI director Louis Freeh, it was determined that Schnatter’s comments were “neither intended nor can reasonably be interpreted to reflect any racial bias, prejudice, or disrespect for African Americans or people of color.”
Freeh concluded that Schnatter didn’t use a racial slur. Freeh stated that the facts of this case were “drowned out by the more sensationalized mischaracterization in the mainstream and social media.”
They must distance themselves from their founder
Schnatter quit the company he started despite the findings of the investigation. Papa Johns is also further distancing itself from the former CEO who used to regularly appear in the company’s national advertising campaigns.
They do this by removing the apostrophes from the word. “Johns”In the Papa Johns logo.
A Focus On Ingredients
The Papa Johns rebranding project will continue in 2022. It will include new stores with an open floorplan, updated kitchens and self-service options at the pick-up counter.
The new store decor highlights the premium ingredients of Papa Johns pizza and features updated colors of their iconic logo colors, red and green. The visuals feature a bright tomato red and a fresh basil green as well as a fluffy off-white dough.
“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,”Max Wetzel, Chief Commercial Officer at Papa John’s, stated in a statement.
John Schnatter Does Not Believe It.
Schnatter issued a response to the redesign and stated that it was being done. “gratifying” to see that most of the concepts his company had developed over the last 34 years—high-quality ingredients, customer service, logo colors, slogans, and more—were still supporting Papa Johns’ success. However, Schnatter wasn’t happy about the brand’s logo change.
“Instead of being obsessed with Papa John and irrelevant changes to the brand logo, the company should become obsessed once again with making quality Papa Johns pizza consistently,”Schnatter stated. “Try as they may, they can’t have Papa Johns without Papa John.”