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Papa John's ex-CEO and founder announces New Year's resolution to eat 50 pizzas in 30 days

Mary Hanbury,Kate Taylor   

Papa John's ex-CEO and founder announces New Year's resolution to eat 50 pizzas in 30 days
Retail2 min read
John Schnatter

The founder and former CEO of Papa John's announced an ambitious New Year's resolution in an Instagram story this week.

John Schnatter told fans that he planned to top his personal record of eating 40 pizzas in 30 days by eating 50 pizzas in 30 days in 2020. The news was first reported by USA Today; the short video has since expired and disappeared from his Instagram page.

However, Schnatter also posted a photo of himself on his page, reiterating his commitment to the challenge. He didn't specify when he would be taking it on.

Schnatter announced his previous pizza-eating record in a TV interview with local news outlet WDRB News in November, when he slammed the company for the perceived declining quality of its pizzas since he stepped down in 2018.

"I've had over 40 pizzas in the last 30 days," he said. "And it's not the same pizza. It's not the same product. It just doesn't taste as good."

Schnatter founded Papa John's in 1984 and grew it into one of the world's largest pizza delivery companies. In 2017, he stepped down as CEO after he ignited a wave of backlash over his criticism of NFL players kneeling during the national anthem to protest police brutality. In 2018, he stepped down from his role as chairman of the company after admitting to using the N-word in a company conference call.

Schnatter described his ousting from the company as a "farce" in the WDRB interview and slammed the chain's new leaders, including Steve Ritchie, who replaced him as CEO, and the board members Olivia Kirtley and Mark Shapiro, saying that they "should be in jail."

"They stole the company, and now they've destroyed the company," he said.


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