# Papa John's Blames NFL Controversy for Poor Sales. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 1, 2017, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/papa-johns-blames-nfl-controversy-for-poor-sales/800430 "2017-11-01T20:10:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![DigitalC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ebca7d/32.png) [@DigitalC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DigitalC)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2017, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/papa-johns-blames-nfl-controversy-for-poor-sales/800430/81 "2017-11-03T15:06:39Z")
> [@Kimballkid](#): > > That may be true for some people but I had Papa John’s pizza well before I knew who Schnatter was or what his politics were. It is just bad pizza. I didn’t know about his politics either and they currently have an offer going that whenever the Orlando Magic wins a game you get 50% off their online orders, tried it once after years of not having Papa Johns and it was absolutely horrible. ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2017, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/papa-johns-blames-nfl-controversy-for-poor-sales/800430/82 "2017-11-03T15:47:24Z")
> [@jz78817](#): > > I haven’t had PJ’s, but usually when I see/hear people say how something like this is “awful” they’re only saying it because they don’t like the person involved. > … I’ve tried Papa John’s pizza once in my life. Once was plenty. That was long before I knew what a douchebag the owner was. ---
**Author:** ![DigitalC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ebca7d/32.png) [@DigitalC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DigitalC)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2017, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/papa-johns-blames-nfl-controversy-for-poor-sales/800430/83 "2017-11-03T15:49:41Z")
It’s tomato soup poured over cardboard. ---
**Author:** ![AlsoNamedBort](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alsonamedbort/32/3213_2.png) [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2017, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/papa-johns-blames-nfl-controversy-for-poor-sales/800430/84 "2017-11-03T15:52:23Z")
I occasionally get PJ’s pizza mainly because it’s cheap and it’s a couple blocks from work. If I had to have it delivered or there was another pizza place close by, I don’t think I would ever get it. The only redeeming quality is the garlic butter dipping sauce. ---
**Author:** ![Green\_Bean](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/green_bean/32/1760_2.png) [@Green\_Bean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Green_Bean)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2017, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/papa-johns-blames-nfl-controversy-for-poor-sales/800430/85 "2017-11-03T16:57:05Z")
An interesting subtext to all this is the admission that Papa John’s pizza sales are so dependent on ongoing advertising and promotional campaigns. It suggests that too much of the customer base needs to be reminded and incentivized before they will buy it. If this dip in NFL viewership has had a notable effect on their bottom line, it’s because not enough customers like their pizza enough to make it a habit. In contrast, I have been ordering from the same local pizza joint for years and years. If I want a pizza, I don’t think about where I’m going to get it from. I just call them. Even if I get the idea for having pizza from a TV ad for some other pizza, I still order it from the same local joint. Why? Because it’s become habitual. It became habitual because it’s excellent pizza. They don’t need to advertise because their pizza sells itself. Now, of course a bunch of people are about to say “but I order Papa John’s over and over again.” I’m sure that’s true of a lot of people. But apparently not ENOUGH people are brand loyal ENOUGH to keep buying pizza without being reminded by ads. ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2017, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/papa-johns-blames-nfl-controversy-for-poor-sales/800430/86 "2017-11-03T19:31:22Z")
> [@DigitalC](#): > > If you want an alternative to Papa Johns for your pizza parties go with [Little Ceasars.](http://www.cnn.com/2017/02/15/us/mike-ilitch-rosa-parks-trnd/index.html) Another alternative to Papa John’s is Papa John! Less pizza, more Blues. [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/n6kIJnZu4IU/hqdefault.jpg "Hot Tuna - Papa John's Down Home Blues - 3/4/1988 - Fillmore Auditorium (Official)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n6kIJnZu4IU) ---
**Author:** ![wguy123](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wguy123/32/3161_2.png) [@wguy123](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wguy123)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2017, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/papa-johns-blames-nfl-controversy-for-poor-sales/800430/87 "2017-11-03T19:56:36Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > It’s certainly not personal here. Like, I love Chick-Fil-A. Their politics or whatnot doesn’t enter into the equation of where I eat and what I think of their food. Ok, maybe I’m a bit snobbish and picky about pizza, given that I think lots of bad pizza exists, but PJ’s is truly bad pizza _to my tastes_, even if it the company were owned by the saintliest and most socially progressive of owners. And if, I dunno, Trump can turn out a good pizza, I’ll eat it. I don’t really give a shit about politics when it comes to food. Ditto. 100%. Dislike Chick-Fil-A politics but will still eat it because it is delicious. Dislike PJ’s politics but dislike their piece of shit pizza even more. It should go directly from the oven to the landfill. When I was younger I would shovel in 3 day old bad pizza and stale donuts. But I’m now to the point in my life where I have to justify the calories I intake. PJ is a lot of bad calories so I elect not to eat them. ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2017, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/papa-johns-blames-nfl-controversy-for-poor-sales/800430/88 "2017-11-03T20:37:46Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > It was college, I was drunk…hHy! I don’t have to explain myself here! We get it, it was a dark depressing time, and you weren’t really in your right mind. We all do things we later regret. But tasting the asshole was intentional. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![nelliebly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nelliebly/32/5422_2.png) [@nelliebly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nelliebly)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2017, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/papa-johns-blames-nfl-controversy-for-poor-sales/800430/89 "2017-11-03T21:03:44Z")
Pizza Hut’s third quarter earnings are higher than forecast. And NFL viewership has been decreasing for quite some time, according to [this](http://fortune.com/2017/11/02/nfl-protests-papa-johns-pizza-hut/) Fortune article. Of course, Pizza Hut is not an official sponsor of the NFL, and likely doesn’t have the ad presence Papa John’s has, which brings us to this: NFL [ad prices have gone up](http://http://adage.com/article/media/nfl/305791/) yet again. With viewership down again and ad dollars increasing even further, putting so many pizzas in that one basket may be a mistake. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2017, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/papa-johns-blames-nfl-controversy-for-poor-sales/800430/90 "2017-11-03T23:51:00Z")
Little Caesars pizza might not be the greatest (it’s better than Papa Johns) but their Crazy Bread is bar none. And I love their cheese bread. It’s basically white pizza, which I adore. > [@Ike\_Witt](#): > > Another story in that link: [Was Cowboys’ Jerry Jones behind Papa John’s NFL protest complaint?](http://www.sportingnews.com/nfl/news/nfl-papa-johns-pizza-john-schnatter-jerry-jones-cowboys-conspiracy/ycs38cb50hp813ptr96vm33ph) Wouldn’t surprise me. Jones is one of the biggest sleazebags in the NFL. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2017, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/papa-johns-blames-nfl-controversy-for-poor-sales/800430/91 "2017-11-04T00:06:46Z")
[Alt-Right White Supremacists Claim Papa John’s As Official Pizza](http://www.newsweek.com/papa-john-alt-right-nazis-white-supremacists-nfl-pizza-701648) > [@](#): > > The white supremacist website the Daily Stormer announced Thursday that Papa John’s pizza is the official pie of the alt-right, posting a picture of a pizza with a swastika fashioned from pepperoni slices. The caption reads, “Papa John: Official pizza of the alt-right?” ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2017, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/papa-johns-blames-nfl-controversy-for-poor-sales/800430/92 "2017-11-04T00:22:49Z")
There you go, Schnatter. All the publicity you could want. ---
**Author:** ![Odesio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/odesio/32/20003_2.png) [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2017, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/papa-johns-blames-nfl-controversy-for-poor-sales/800430/93 "2017-11-04T15:25:06Z")
> [@jz78817](#): > > I haven’t had PJ’s, but usually when I see/hear people say how something like this is “awful” they’re only saying it because they don’t like the person involved. There were similar comments about Chick-fil-A when they were in the news for their owner’s political beliefs. Their sandwiches were terrible and they and overpriced as a similar meal at another restaurant would cost you much less. Papa Johns is usually my first choice for pizza where I live. What are my other choices? Unless I want to go out of my way it’s Little Caesar’s, Pizza Hut, and Domino’s. And while I have a preference for PJs over the others I can’t really claim it stands head and shoulders above the others. If PJ isn’t as profitable as those other three I can’t for the life of me think it’s because of the quality of their product. Those other pizza places really aren’t any better. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2017, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/papa-johns-blames-nfl-controversy-for-poor-sales/800430/94 "2017-11-04T16:07:36Z")
> [@Odesio](#): > > There were similar comments about Chick-fil-A when they were in the news for their owner’s political beliefs. Their sandwiches were terrible and they and overpriced as a similar meal at another restaurant would cost you much less. I had a Chick-Fil-A sandwich once, before I knew the owner’s political beliefs. It was boring. I could get the same from AM/PM. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2017, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/papa-johns-blames-nfl-controversy-for-poor-sales/800430/95 "2017-11-04T16:16:32Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > I had a Chick-Fil-A sandwich once, before I knew the owner’s political beliefs. > > It was boring. I could get the same from AM/PM. Chick-Fil-A also has the only “spicy” chicken sandwich that is remotely spicy. (Yes, even compared with Wendy’s). For that, they win alone. I’ve yet to discover a place that makes a better simple chicken sandwich. ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2017, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/papa-johns-blames-nfl-controversy-for-poor-sales/800430/96 "2017-11-04T19:07:04Z")
Papa Johns relies so heavily on discounting that I’m wondering if the better economy has actually hurt them. People have more money to spend on better pizza than during the recession, there’s no need for a buy one get one free pizza accompanied by a 12 pack of cheap beer when unemployment is at 4.1% ---
**Author:** ![nightshadea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7ba0ec/32.png) [@nightshadea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nightshadea)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2017, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/papa-johns-blames-nfl-controversy-for-poor-sales/800430/97 "2017-11-04T19:35:25Z")
> [@dalej42](#): > > Papa Johns relies so heavily on discounting that I’m wondering if the better economy has actually hurt them. People have more money to spend on better pizza than during the recession, there’s no need for a buy one get one free pizza accompanied by a 12 pack of cheap beer when unemployment is at 4.1% I’m wondering the same thing for dominos… they have the 2 for 5.99 deal its actually 2 topping med pizza and bread chicken pasta dessert salads you can mix and match But they’ve had the same deal for at least 6 or 7 years and unless you need a bigger pizza or a specialty pizza its their most popular pizza deal I know at some point its a loss leader but they cant get rid of it with out losing a ton customers Do how do you encourage people to move on to something that makes you money ? ---
**Author:** ![Big\_Norse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/big_norse/32/9954_2.png) [@Big\_Norse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Big_Norse)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2017, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/papa-johns-blames-nfl-controversy-for-poor-sales/800430/98 "2017-11-04T22:45:52Z")
Restaurant CEOs always grab at dubious excuses to explain less than stellar sales. Weather, holidays falling on the wrong day of a month, etc. This feels to me to be more than a little motivated by politics. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2017, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/papa-johns-blames-nfl-controversy-for-poor-sales/800430/99 "2017-11-05T01:22:43Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > [Alt-Right White Supremacists Claim Papa John’s As Official Pizza](http://www.newsweek.com/papa-john-alt-right-nazis-white-supremacists-nfl-pizza-701648) I just saw that myself on Reddit (/r/nottheonion: For news articles [or, at least, titles] which sound like parody). Sometimes I wonder if these are 4chan-style racists who are actually trying to tank the company in question. ---
**Author:** ![Helena330](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/helena330/32/531_2.png) [@Helena330](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Helena330)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2017, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/papa-johns-blames-nfl-controversy-for-poor-sales/800430/100 "2017-11-05T01:57:57Z")
Update on the Official White Supremacy Pizza Chain: [Papa John’s has now been forced to tell racists not to eat its pizza](https://www.avclub.com/papa-johns-has-now-been-forced-to-tell-racists-not-to-e-1820146555) > [@](#): > > Responding to questions that we’re sure they were thrilled to be receiving from The Huffington Post, the chain issued the following statement today: “We condemn racism in all forms and any and all hate groups that support it. We do not want these individuals or groups to buy our pizza.” What weird, stupid times we find ourselves living in. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/papa-johns-blames-nfl-controversy-for-poor-sales/800430.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/papa-johns-blames-nfl-controversy-for-poor-sales/800430.md?page=6)