Papa John’s founder warns of ‘day of reckoning’ over his ouster from company

Papa John’s founder warned of a “day of reckoning” regarding his ouster from the company in an interview published Monday.

John Schnatter told WDRB News that he believed management colluded to push for his removal from the pizza company. The founder was ejected from the company after Schnatter admitted to using a racial slur during a conference call in May 2018.

“I never dreamed that people that I cared about, that I loved, that I made multimillionaires, would do what they did,” he told the local news network. 

The founder told WDRB News that he has been tracking the quality of the pizza since his ouster, which he says has gone downhill.

“I’ve had over 40 pizzas in the last 30 days, and it’s not the same pizza,” Schnatter said. “It’s not the same product. It just doesn’t taste as good.”

Schnatter called out his handpicked replacement Steve Ritchie and members of the company’s board of directors for utilizing “the black community and race” to “steal” the company, saying they have now “destroyed” Papa John’s.

“Stay tuned. The day of reckoning will come,” he said. “The record will be straight.”

Schnatter, who founded the company in 1984, admitted to using a racial slur during a conference call but claimed he did so to convey his disdain for racism, Forbes reported in July 2018.

Shortly after his removal, he launched a campaign with a website called SavePapaJohns.com to share his side of the story, The Washington Post reported. Schnatter was the company’s biggest shareholder until he sold 4 million of his shares this year.

Papa John’s did not immediately return a request for comment.