“This should have been nipped in the bud a year and a half ago”

[Mike Mercury]

Papa John's Blames the NFL for Hurting Sales

The founder of Papa John’s International Inc. (an official NFL sponsor) John Schnatter is going after NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, saying weak handling of the league’s national-anthem controversy has hammered sales of his pizza.

“The NFL has hurt us by not resolving the current debacle to the players’ and owners’ satisfaction,” Schnatter, who serves as the pizza chain’s chairman and chief executive officer, said on a conference call. “NFL leadership has hurt Papa John’s shareholders.”

Schnatter’s comments mark the highest-profile example of an NFL partner publicly blaming the outcry for hurting business.

Goodell, whose contract is up for renewal, has taken flak for not resolving the controversy more quickly. The flap has even drawn tweets from President Donald Trump, who called for owners to fire or bench players who refuse to stand during “The Star-Spangled Banner.”

“Leadership starts at the top, and this is an example of poor leadership,” Schnatter said.

It’s hard to quantify the connection between the NFL and pizza sales, but Papa John’s did post disappointing results in the latest quarter. Its shares fell as much as 13 percent on Wednesday -- the most in two years -- after same-store sales missed analysts’ estimates. The Louisville, Kentucky-based company also trimmed its revenue and profit forecasts for the year.

The NFL didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

Schnatter has appeared frequently in advertisements during NFL games, including alongside star quarterback Peyton Manning, a franchisee of the chain’s restaurants in Colorado. Back in 2014, when Papa John’s posted a nearly 10 percent gain in North American same-store sales, the company credited its close relationship with the NFL and Manning for driving its business in the U.S.

On Wednesday, the tone was quite different. Papa John’s post-earnings conference call was dominated by negative talk of the NFL. The league’s name came up 44 times during the discussion, compared with 12 mentions in the year-earlier call.

The company wasn’t specific about the sales impact from the NFL protests, but indicated it was shifting some marketing spending away from the league.

It’s not a stretch to say the current ratings decline is hurting pizza sales, said Michael Halen, an analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence. With fewer Americans watching games, fewer people are presumably ordering pizza -- and seeing Papa John’s ads.

“I’m not blaming them for citing it,” he said. “If this is a permanent thing, they have to figure out where to spend some of those ad dollars.”

Goodell critics have said that he should force players to stand for the anthem.

“This should have been nipped in the bud a year and a half ago,” Schnatter said on the call. “Like many sponsors, we’re in touch with the NFL. Once the issue is resolved, we’re optimistic the NFL’s best years are ahead.”

[MrPeabody]

Crappy pizza may have something to do with it.

[04 commemorative]

The pizza does suck

[marrepka]

agree with the all the above, pretty much the worst pizza you can buy. Not sure I would take a free one, and I love pizza

[Dan Dlabay]

I have never had Papa Johns pizza.

[Mike Mercury]

I'm glad to see that a major NFL sponsor is speaking out.

[DAB]

i make my own pizza from scratch.

[Mike Mercury]

Originally Posted by DAB

i make my own pizza from scratch.

[Bill]

Originally Posted by DAB

i make my own pizza from scratch.

I add some stuff to frozen pizzas, because starting from scratch just seems like too much work.

[MrPeabody]

Originally Posted by bill_daniels

I add some stuff to frozen pizzas, because starting from scratch just seems like too much work.

I do that, too, but we just had a new pizza joint open up less than one mile from us. it's an independent place with a couple other locations around the county. Great pizza, excellent salads and sandwiches also. They built a nice outdoor eating space which is great when the weather is nice. Prices are reasonable, too.

[DAB]

Originally Posted by bill_daniels

I add some stuff to frozen pizzas, because starting from scratch just seems like too much work.

ingredients for the crust go in the bread machine (dough cycle), 2 hours later dough is ready for shaping into pizza crust, add toppings, into the oven (450F) on a baking steel, done in 8-10 minutes. makes 12 nice slices, dinner for 2 with leftovers for another day. and low sodium for heart healthy eating.

[RedLS1GTO]

Originally Posted by DAB

2 hours later ...

Nope. That's where ya lost me.

[boracayjohnny]

“This should have been nipped in the bud a year and a half ago”

Well, yea, this is what happens when a SJW and a CEO of the NFL are the same fella. The slack ass makes only wishy-washy decisions. Also, the owners are now, for sure, seeing it's effecting their bottom line.

[DAB]

Goodell: "i don't want to do anything that would turn out wrong and risk my fat, cushy job. so i'll just kick things down the road, smile lots, beat up on Brady, and hope for the best."

[Mike Mercury]

Originally Posted by DAB

Goodell: "i don't want to do anything that would turn out wrong and risk my fat, cushy job. so i'll just kick things down the road, smile lots, beat up on Brady, and hope for the best."

[mrvette]

We have a FAN TAS TICK pizza joint about 2 miles away...order on the .net and it's ready in 30 minits.....WE do the cooking in our oven 40 minits at 400f something....they fix it OUR way, and it's large too, really LARGE like 16+ diameter.....Papa Murphys'......

cheap too, by comparison...but we have to pick it up....