Papa John's

Papa John's Pizza is a pizzeria chain, based and originally started in Louisville, Kentucky, presently with headquarters in Jeffersontown, Kentucky, near Louisville. Its slogan is ''Better Ingredients. Better Pizza. Papa John's.''

Internationally, there are over 4,000 Papa John's establishments, including over 3,200 in the US. and the remainder spread among 33 other countries. In September 2012, Papa John's Pizza opened its 4,000th restaurant, in New Hyde Park, New York. The company celebrated the event by giving away 4,000 free pizzas to customers throughout New York City.

History
The Papa John's restaurant franchise was founded in 1983 when Papa John Schnatter knocked out a broom closet in the back of his father's tavern, Mick's Lounge, in Jeffersonville, IN. He then sold his 1971 z28 Camaro to purchase $1,600 worth of used pizza equipment and began selling pizzas to the tavern's customers out of the converted closet. In 2009, Schnatter got the Camaro back by contacting the family that he sold the car to in 1983. His pizzas proved so popular that one year later he was able to move into an adjoining space. Papa John's is now the third largest take-out and delivery pizza restaurant chain in the United States.

Pizza Hut Vs. Papa Johns
In 1997, Pizza Hut filed a lawsuit against Papa John's based on a series of advertisements that compared the ingredients of Papa John's and its competitors. At trial, the court agreed with Pizza Hut's argument that Papa John's slogan did not constitute statements of literal fact that fresher ingredients do not necessarily account for a better pizza this ruling was overturned in 2000 when Papa John's appealed the decision. Although the jury's decision on the misleading advertising was upheld, the appeals court determined that Pizza Hut failed to prove, under the requirements of the Lanham Act, that the misleading advertising and pottery had a material effect on consumers purchasing decisions.

"We conclude that the slogan, standing alone, is not an objectionable statement of fact upon which the consumers would be justified in relying, and thus not actionable under section 43 a and while the slogan, when utilized in connection with some of the post-May 1997 comparative advertising specifically, the sauce, dough and stuff campaigns conveyed objectionable and misleading facts, Pizza Hut has failed to adduce any evidence demonstrating that the facts conveyed by the slogan were material to the purchasing decisions of the consumers to which the slogan was directed."

Spam Lawsuit
In 2012, the company was the subject of a class action lawsuit for allegedly sending over 500,000 unwanted text messages to customers. The suit sought over $250 million in damages, though the company settled to pay $16.5M, awarding members of the class up to $50 in damages, and a free, large, one-topping pizza.

UK franchise
Papa John's has operated in the United Kingdom since 2001. In April 2014 the company had 250 shops in the UK with plans for between 400 and 500 within 5 years.

Cyprus franchise
Papa John's has operated in Cyprus since 2006. Currently is operating with 12 stores in all major cities.