As a high school student working at a local pizza pub in Jeffersonville, Indiana, Papa John's founder John Schnatter realized that there was something missing from national pizza chains; a superior-quality traditional pizza delivered to the customer's door. His dream was to one day open a pizza restaurant that would fill that void.

In 1983, "Papa" John Schnatter delivered his last campus pizza, picked up his business degree from Ball State University, and went back to Jeffersonville, Indiana. There, at age 22, he knocked down the broom closet in his father's tavern (Mick's Lounge), sold his prized 1972 Z28 Camaro, purchased $1,600 worth of used restaurant equipment, and began delivering pizzas out of the back of the bar.

Papa John's opened its first pizza restaurant in 1984 and to this day is committed to delivering on its brand promise of "Better Ingredients. Better Pizza." Papa John's is the recognized quality leader of the pizza category and now owns or franchises over 3,000 restaurants worldwide.