News

Papa John's celebrates 3000th Restaurant opening

Pizza Chain also to Ring the NASDAQ Opening Bell July 13 as Part of Milestone Celebration

July 11, 2005

LOUISVILLE, Ky.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 12, 2005--Known for its "Better Ingredients, Better Pizza," Papa John's International, Inc. (NASDAQ: PZZA) is celebrating the upcoming opening of its 3000th restaurant by giving away one of its ... shhhh ... secret ingredients - literally! On Wednesday, July 13 beginning at 11:30 a.m., customers who visit Papa John's "Store 3000," located on the corner of 89th Street and Amsterdam Avenue in Manhattan, will receive a fresh, juicy, vine-ripened red tomato, one of the superior-quality "secret ingredients" that goes into making Papa John's pizza so delicious. Papa John's prides itself in taking care (and incurring extra cost) to make sure that the tomatoes used in its sauce go from their California-grown vine to the can in an average of six hours, capturing that just-picked tomato flavor.Papa John's is hosting several activities in New York City July 13 to celebrate this milestone. President/CEO Nigel Travis and Founder/Chairman John Schnatter will start the day by ringing the NASDAQ opening bell at 9:30 a.m., while morning commuters in Times Square are treated to a slice of mouthwatering Papa John's pizza (8,000+ slices will be distributed)! At 11:30 a.m. the festivities move uptown to 89th Street and Amsterdam, where Travis and Schnatter will cut a tomato vine to commemorate the opening of Papa John's 3,000th restaurant this quarter. At the celebration, Papa John's will donate $20,000 and thousands of tomatoes (and other fresh produce) to City Harvest, the world's oldest food rescue organization, dedicated to feeding New York City's hungry men, women and children. Additional activities at the event, which will run through 1:30 p.m., will include pizza sampling, family-friendly games and lots of giveaways sponsored by Coca-Cola, including four special edition Coke mountain bikes. To expand the celebration throughout the New York metro area, on July 13 between the hours of 3 p.m. and 5 p.m.