When Cowboys owner Jerry Jones battled NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell last year, former Papa John’s CEO John Schnatter slipped into the ring and smacked Goodell with a chair. (Goodell would eventually throw Papa John into a turnbuckle, before slamming Jerry onto the mat for a three count.)
Schnatter tried to blame his company’s financial problems on the NFL generally and, specifically, on the anthem controversy. The argument lacked merit at the time (some owners believed Jones cajoled Schnatter into doing it), and intervening events show that Papa John’s problems continue, months after ending its relationship with the league.
Via Bloomberg.com, a new quarterly earnings report unveiled Tuesday showed a year-to-year sales drop of 5.3 percent for the company’s North American operations.
So Papa John’s business struggles go far deeper than the NFL, if the NFL deserved any blame in the first place. Now, the NFL and Pizza Hut move forward with a new partnership; chances are that the relationship ultimately will boost Pizza Hut’s business.
It doesn’t hurt that Pizza Hut makes surprisingly good pizza. I recommend the online-only deal that includes two medium pizzas for $5.99 each. Get one with pepperoni and bacon on thin crust, and one with hand-tossed parmesan crust, and chicken and pepperoni toppings.
