Another reason to not eat Papa John’s

Let’s just get this out of the way. Papa John’s isn’t proper pizza. Neither is Pizza Hut or Domino’s, or Godfather’s. Don’t even get me started on the abomination that is Valentinos. They wouldn’t know Italian food if it smacked them in the face.

Sam and Louie’s comes close but they don’t have that great morning after taste that proper New York pizza does. Domino’s Brooklyn Style is similar to proper pizza but isn’t quite there. So, until there is a Star Trek transporter that can get me to the Caldor Plaza so I can pick up some Colandrea Pizza, I rarely eat pizza out here in the hinterlands of western Nebraska.

When I do choose pizza, Papa John’s is not a consideration. Back in 2012, John Schnatter, owner of the chain, said he didn’t support the Affordable Healthcare Act, or Obamacare. If he were to provide coverage, the price of a pizza would increase.

“Our best estimate is that the Obamacare will cost 11 to 14 cents per pizza, or 15 to 20 cents per order from a corporate basis,” Schnatter said.

“We’re not supportive of Obamacare, like most businesses in our industry. But our business model and unit economics are about as ideal as you can get for a food company to absorb Obamacare,” he said.

“If Obamacare is in fact not repealed, we will find tactics to shallow out any Obamacare costs and core strategies to pass that cost onto consumers in order to protect our shareholders best interests,” Schnatter vowed.

The backlash was about what you would imagine. People like myself were angry. Schnatter wrote a piece in the Huffington Post about how his words were twisted, then proceeded to say the same thing, just in a different way.

His callous approach to saying he didn’t support healthcare for all Americans and he’d find a way to get around it said all I needed to know. I had a similar reaction in 2011 to Jimmy John’s and his enjoyment of hunting endangered animals. I don’t eat either of their foods.

Schnatter has now said black athletes are hurting his pizza sales by taking a knee and bringing light to the country’s problems with civil rights. This only further proves my point that Schnatter deserves none of my money.

Instead of supporting players who are trying to call attention to a matter that has been ignored for decades in America, Schnatter whines about how his sales are hurting. The correct response would be to support the players. You’d sell a lot of pizzas with that attitude.

“The NFL has hurt us,” company founder and CEO John Schnatter said. “We are disappointed the NFL and its leadership did not resolve this.”

Executives said the company has pulled much of its NFL television advertising and that the NFL has responded by giving the company additional future spots. Later in the day, a spokesman clarified that the spots themselves weren’t being pulled, just the NFL shield or “official sponsor” designation on those spots.

“Leadership starts at the top, and this is an example of poor leadership,” Schnatter said, noting he thought the issue had been “nipped in the bud” a year and a half ago.

Yes, leadership starts at the top and John Schnatter is a poor example of a leader.

Again, there is backlash. Comedy Writer Nick Pappas created his own delivery box.

This is a bold new marketing campaign by Papa Johns pizza: pic.twitter.com/vOXDchwoYH

— Nick Jack Pappas (@Pappiness) November 1, 2017

According to Salon, “The protests that should have been ‘nipped in the bud,’ began in 2016 when Colin Kaepernick began sitting, and eventually kneeling, during pre-game singings [sic] of the national anthem as demonstrations against police brutality toward African-Americans. The movement gained momentum, developing into a national controversy partially fueled by President Donald Trump’s incendiary comments.”

Within 24 hours of making the comment, Schnatter lost more than $70 million of his net worth.

Papa John’s has lost more than $70 million dollars in 24 hrs after making comments about the NFL KNEELING affecting his sales. pic.twitter.com/0B3pn9wPKS

— RogelioGarcia Lawyer (@LawyerRogelio) November 3, 2017

Dallas Cowboys Owner Jerry Jones agreed with Schnatter. He also owns 100 franchises and is a large stakeholder.

Bill Barnwell showed evidence of Papa John’s declining sales before the “taking a knee” incidents.

Idea that Papa John’s revenue/earnings fell because of anthem protests is ridiculous. Steady decline long before peak protest day (9/24) pic.twitter.com/ioO6mwB0mb

— Bill Barnwell (@billbarnwell) November 1, 2017

My completely biased opinion is may people are getting sick of overpriced garbage being allowed to use the word “pizza” in their product names.

But if what he says turns out to be true, maybe Schnatter could look to himself and support the “taking a knee” movement. His company would only benefit from such a stance.

DiGiorino also weighed in on the situation, saying they didn’t have a problem. For the record, frozen pizza is not good. It doesn’t matter the company who makes it.

http://fortune.com/2017/11/02/nfl-protests-papa-johns-pizza-hut”>Pizza Hut may end up with the last laugh.

“We’re not seeing impact on any of that on our business,” Greg Creed, CEO of Yum Brands—parent company of Pizza Hut, Taco Bell and other chains—said in a call with investors on Thursday. Yum Brands posted third-quarter earnings and revenue that beat analyst forecasts, due in part to Pizza Hut’s improved performance.

After all the fun and games, people still need to realize that Schnatter has no clue what he is talking about. He is looking at his bottom line and is in it for himself. He is clueless and ignorant, along with all the other people, such as this moron who wrote a letter to the editor in my local paper.

It’s difficult to reason with people who don’t understand their own ignorance, such as the “patriot” in the photo below.

One Redditor summed it up perfectly.

The people who believe such things most likely agree with Schnatter’s comments. He may even get a few more pizza sales because of it. But my money will continue to go elsewhere.

I vote with my dollars as well as a pen at the ballot box. I won’t give money to a company that cares more about profits than the health of their employees. I won’t give money to anyone who can’t understand and empathize with people who are treated differently because of the color of your skin.

It’s up to you and your conscience what you choose to do. I can live without Papa John’s. I choose to keep my integrity and character.