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John Schnatter&mdash;the founder behind Papa John&rsquo;s&mdash;is being replaced as the brand&rsquo;s CEO. Starting on January 1, 2018, Schnatter will remain chairman of the company while current President Steve Ritchie is promoted to CEO.

<a href="http://www.nrn.com/people/john-schnatter-out-papa-john-s-ceo?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=nations-restaurant-news-john-schnatter-out-as-papa-johns-ceo-2705098" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">A recent article in Nation&rsquo;s Restaurant News</a> notes that the change to Papa John&rsquo;s executive team comes after Schnatter received criticism for blaming the brand&rsquo;s slow sales on the NFL for allowing on-field protests during its third quarter earnings call at the beginning of November. Even though Papa John&rsquo;s has had a long-standing relationship with the NFL, the brand pulled some of its ads to focus on more digital campaigns instead. &nbsp;

Schnatter&rsquo;s comments on the executive change focus on Ritchie rather than his controversial remarks. In a statement quotes by Nation&rsquo;s Restaurant News, he said, &quot;I am so proud of Steve &mdash; he has excelled at every job he&#39;s ever held at Papa John&#39;s &mdash; from being an hourly customer service rep, to a delivery driver, store general manager, director of operations, franchisee and most recently President. With 120,000 Papa John&#39;s corporate and franchise employees, Steve will put the spotlight on our pizza and the most important ingredient &mdash; our team members. We couldn&#39;t have a more proven leader to guide Papa John&#39;s through its&nbsp;next stage of growth.&rdquo;

To read the original article, <a href="http://www.nrn.com/people/john-schnatter-out-papa-john-s-ceo?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=nations-restaurant-news-john-schnatter-out-as-papa-johns-ceo-2705098" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">click here</a>.

Nation’s Restaurant News: John Schnatter Out as Papa John’s CEO

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The executive change up comes after Schnatter placed blame on the NFL for the brand’s slow sales.

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Nation’s Restaurant News: John Schnatter Out as Papa John’s CEO

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