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Heads up! Super Bowl XLVI Coin Toss Lands on ‘Heads,’ Giving Free Papa John’s Pizza to Millions

RestaurantNews — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 00:12:52 +0000

America’s ‘Heads’ Call in Papa John’s ‘Super Bowl XVLI Coin Toss Experience’ Results in Free Large Pizza and 2-Liter Pepsi MAX to all Papa Rewards Members

Heads up! Super Bowl XLVI Coin Toss Lands on 'Heads,' Giving Free Papa John's Pizza to Millions

Louisville, KY (RestaurantNews.com) Hey America, are you ready for some free Papa John’s pizza – the Official Pizza Sponsor of the NFL and Super Bowl XVLI? In one of the most anticipated “flips” in history, the coin toss for Super Bowl XVLI landed on “heads” this evening, resulting in a free large one-topping Papa John’s pizza and 2-liter Pepsi MAX for the millions of members of Papa John’s Papa Rewards customer loyalty program.

Fans who were enrolled in Papa Rewards as of 6 p.m. ET today will receive an email Monday with instructions on how to get their large one-topping pizza and 2-liter Pepsi MAX.

“No matter which team you are rooting for, everyone enrolled in Papa Rewards walks away a winner after Super Bowl XLVI,” said John Schnatter, Papa John’s Founder, Chairman and CEO. “It’s our way of celebrating a terrific NFL season and rewarding our loyal Papa Rewards customers.”

America chose which side of the coin it would be on via a popular vote Jan. 22 through Feb. 1 at www.papajohns.com. “Heads” prevailed with 60 percent of the vote.

Papa John’s Super Bowl Coin Toss Experience was supported via an integrated marketing campaign that included a national television commercial featuring NFL stars Peyton Manning and Jerome “The Bus” Bettis, along with Schnatter, as well as digital media advertising, social media, media relations, and interactive, video-rich Web pages at www.papajohns.com.

Papa John’s is in the second year of a multi-year sponsorship with the NFL.

Headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky, Papa John’s International, Inc. (NASDAQ: PZZA) is the world’s third largest pizza company. For 10 of the past 12 years, consumers have rated Papa John’s No. 1 in customer satisfaction among all national pizza chains in the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI). Papa John’s also was honored by Restaurants & Institutions Magazine (R&I) with the 2009 Gold Award for Consumers’ Choice in Chains in the pizza segment. Papa John’s is the Official Pizza Sponsor of the National Football League and Super Bowl XLVI and XLVII. For more information about the company or to order pizza online, visit Papa John’s at www.papajohns.com.

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. ONLY PAPA REWARDS MEMBERS AS OF 6 PM ET ON 2/5/12 WHO ARE LEGAL RESIDENTS OF THE 50 UNITED STATES (D.C.) 13 AND OLDER MAY BE ELIGIBLE TO RECEIVE A PRIZE. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED. Voting takes place from 1/22/12 to 2/1/12. For Official Rules, visit www.papajohns.com.

America Calls ‘Heads’ for Super Bowl XLVI Coin Toss and Chance for Free Papa John’s Pizza

RestaurantNews — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 02:24:12 +0000

NFL Stars Peyton Manning and Jerome Bettis Join Millions of Fans Enrolled in Papa Rewards Ready to Flip Over Free Pizza if Coin Toss Lands on Heads

America Calls 'Heads' for Super Bowl XLVI Coin Toss and Chance for Free Papa John's Pizza

Louisville, KY (RestaurantNews.com) Papa John’s, the Official Pizza Sponsor of the NFL, today announced that America has called “heads” in Papa John’s Super Bowl XLVI Coin Toss Experience. With America’s call, the millions of fans enrolled in the company’s Papa Rewards customer loyalty program will receive a free large one-topping pizza and 2-liter Pepsi MAX if the coin toss in Super Bowl XLVI lands on “heads.”

America chose which side of the coin based on popular vote the past 10 days at www.papajohns.com. “Heads” prevailed with 60 percent of the vote.

But making the call is just part of Papa John’s Super Bowl XLVI Coin Toss Experience. Americans can enroll in Papa Rewards at www.papajohns.com until 6 p.m. ET Super Bowl Sunday to receive the free pizza and Pepsi MAX if America’s call is correct.

“We’re thrilled with the response of NFL fans and our customers to Papa John’s Super Bowl Coin Toss Experience,” said John Schnatter, Papa John’s Founder, Chairman and CEO. “Recognizing it’s not every day that you get a chance for free pizza and Pepsi MAX on the simple flip of a coin, we expect the rush of people signing up for Papa Rewards to continue right up until the official coin is tossed.”

“I’ve never seen so much excitement about a coin toss,” said NFL star and Super Bowl XLI champion Peyton Manning. “I’ll be crossing my fingers with all of America for the coin to land on heads and reward everyone with free Papa John’s pizza.”

Added Super Bowl XL Champion and Pro Football Hall of Fame finalist Jerome “The Bus” Bettis: “For years, the coin toss I participated in on Thanksgiving Day 1998 has been recognized as one of the most famous in NFL history. If this year’s coin toss comes up ‘heads,’ I may be passing Papa John’s the torch for the most memorable coin toss.”

Last year for Super Bowl XLV, Papa John’s set a single-day sales record by selling more than 1 million pizzas, driven in part by offering a free large pizza to everyone in America if the game went into overtime. In the fourth quarter, the teams were separated by only 3 points, but the game did not go into overtime. In fact, no Super Bowl has ever gone into overtime.

“We generated a lot of excitement toward the end of Super Bowl XLV,” Schnatter said. “For Super Bowl XLVI, we’re flipping our strategy – literally – and generating a lot of drama for NFL fans and our customers at the beginning of Super Bowl XLVI.”

If the coin toss for Super Bowl XLVI lands on heads, each Papa Rewards member will receive an email Monday, Feb. 6, with instructions on how to get their free large one-topping pizza and 2-liter Pepsi MAX.

Papa John’s is in the second year of a multi-year sponsorship with the NFL.

Papa John’s to Give Free Pizza to America If Fans Correctly ‘Call’ Super Bowl XLVI Coin Toss

RestaurantNews — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 17:59:52 +0000

Peyton Manning and Jerome Bettis Help Papa John and Fans in Making the Call

Papa John's to Give Free Pizza to America If Fans Correctly 'Call' Super Bowl XLVI Coin Toss

Louisville, KY (RestaurantNews.com) No National Football League sponsor knows a quality “toss” like Papa John’s founder, Chairman and CEO John Schnatter, but he’s counting on America to call the coin toss for Super Bowl XLVI so that the country can flip over free pizza.

Papa John’s, the Official Pizza Sponsor of the NFL, today unveiled its Super Bowl XLVI Coin Toss Experience, which includes a free large one-topping pizza and 2-liter Pepsi MAX for the millions of fans enrolled in Papa John’s Papa Rewards program … if America correctly “calls” the Super Bowl coin toss. No matter which team wins the Super Bowl, Papa John’s fans have skin in the game.

“Papa” John Schnatter, who started Papa John’s in 1984 out of the back of his father’s tavern in Jeffersonville, Ind., has recruited Super Bowl champions Peyton Manning and Jerome “The Bus” Bettis to help spread the word and “coach” America on the coin toss vote.

Bringing this powerful threesome together is the crescendo of Papa John’s NFL season-long marketing strategy that has surprised and delighted millions of Papa John’s customers. Papa John’s, the only national pizza chain with a system-wide rewards program, will continue this blitz the next two weeks leading up to the Super Bowl XLVI coin toss. The integrated campaign includes a national television commercial featuring Manning and Bettis that first aired during yesterday’s NFC and AFC Championship games, digital media advertising, social media (#freepapajohns), and interactive, video-rich Web pages at www.papajohns.com.

America will make its “heads” or “tails” call for the Super Bowl XLVI coin toss by voting at www.papajohns.com today through Feb. 1. Schnatter will announce the result of America’s vote Feb. 2 on the NFL Network in Indianapolis and via social media and at www.papajohns.com.

If America’s call is correct, everyone enrolled in Papa Rewards as of 6 p.m. ET Super Bowl Sunday will receive an email the following day with instructions on how to claim their pizza and Pepsi MAX prize.

“This won’t be an easy call for America, but as the Official Pizza Sponsor of the NFL, it’s an easy call for Papa John’s to offer a promotion like this to our loyal customers,” Schnatter said. “The Super Bowl is the largest stage in all of sports, and it’s the biggest sales day of the year for us. We’re going all out with quality players like Peyton Manning and The Bus to make sure our customers have a great experience with the highest-quality pizza.”

“I’m thrilled to be part of the Papa John’s team and this exciting promotion that revolves around the biggest day of the year – the Super Bowl,” said Manning, who won Super Bowl XLI. “I really didn’t expect to be a referee this year, but – like I said in the commercial — ’a man’s gotta work.’”

“The pressure is on, America,” said Bettis, who is a finalist this year for induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. “It’s hard to believe there could be an NFL coin toss with bigger stakes than what I experienced Thanksgiving Day 1998 … but with free Papa John’s and Pepsi MAX on the line for millions of fans in Super Bowl XLVI, this certainly is huge!”

Occurring between the singing of the National Anthem and kickoff, the Super Bowl coin toss puts viewers on the edge of their seats … and players and coaches simply on edge. In fact, the NFC is on an incredible 14-year winning streak with Super Bowl coin tosses (Super Bowl XXXII – Super Bowl XLV). Some additional interesting Super Bowl coin toss statistics:

In 45 Super Bowls, heads has been called 23 times and tails 22
24 of the 45 tosses have come up heads, and 21 tails
The NFC has 24 Super Bowl wins, with a dominating 31 coin toss wins
The AFC has 21 Super Bowl wins, compared to only 14 coin toss wins

Last year for Super Bowl XLV, Papa John’s set a single-day sales record by selling more than one million pizzas, driven in part by offering a free large pizza to everyone in America if the game went into overtime. In the fourth quarter, the teams were separated by only 3 points, but the game did not go into overtime. In fact, no Super Bowl has ever gone into overtime.

This year, America’s odds of winning free Papa John’s are much better … on the toss of a coin.

Papa John’s is in the second year of a multi-year sponsorship with the NFL.

Contact

Papa John’s International, Inc.
Tish Muldoon
Senior Director, Public Relations
502-261-4987
tish_muldoon@papajohns.com

Papa John’s abandons Coke for rival Pepsi

RestaurantNews — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 00:36:07 +0000

Papa John’s Pizza will end its exclusive 25-year relationship with Coca-Cola and start serving Pepsi in its U.S. stores, beginning in January.

The switch by the Louisville-based restaurant chain is a blow to Coke in the competition between the nation’s two beverage giants in their efforts to advance their fountain-restaurant businesses. The companies have worked diligently to secure exclusive contracts with several restaurants: Pepsi also has Pizza Hut, Taco Bell and KFC; Coke is aligned with McDonald’s, Subway and Wendy’s.

A Papa John’s spokesman said the new beverage agreement with Pepsi resulted from the compatibility of the companies. However, the pizza chain didn’t spell out the reason for its break-up with Coke that comes at the end of its long relationship, most recently a seven-year contract.

Continue reading . . .

Papa John’s Offering “1040″ Tax Day Special

RestaurantNews — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 14:30:59 +0000

While the Internal Revenue Service is providing Americans three extra days to file their taxes this year, Papa John’s is delivering relief to the entire nation this weekend – especially tax “pro-crust-inators” – by offering a large, original crust pizza with up to four toppings for just $10.40.

This Friday through Monday, April 15-18, consumers can get relief simply by entering the “1040” promotional code when placing orders at www.papajohns.com. The online-only offer is especially convenient to the growing number of Americans who file their taxes online. This year, the number of e-filers has risen nearly 7 percent from 2010 to more than 71 million people. And there are still several days for “pro-crust-inators” to file.

“With the tax season deadline causing stress for many Americans, this is Papa John’s opportunity to provide the country with a little relief, with a great price on a superior-quality pizza,” said Andrew Varga, Papa John’s Chief Marketing Officer. “Through our online ordering system, Papa John’s customers will experience our quality pizza — with an immediate return – with the ‘1040’ online special.”

Headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky, Papa John’s International, Inc. (NASDAQ: PZZA) is the world’s third largest pizza company. For 10 of the past 11 years, consumers have rated Papa John’s No. 1 in customer satisfaction among all national pizza chains in the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI). Papa John’s also was honored by Restaurants & Institutions Magazine (R&I) with the 2009 Gold Award for Consumers’ Choice in Chains in the pizza segment. Papa John’s is the Official Pizza Sponsor of the National Football League and Super Bowl XLV, XLVI and XLVII. For more information about the company or to order pizza online, visit Papa John’s at www.papajohns.com.

Papa John’s Introduces New Double Bacon Six Cheese Pizza

RestaurantNews — Wed, 24 Nov 2010 13:00:33 +0000

While turkey traditionally takes the spotlight this time of year, Papa John’s, the world’s third-largest pizza company, is offering consumers something that they love all year long – bacon. And more bacon.

Now through Dec. 26, Papa John’s is introducing the Double Bacon Six Cheese pizza, a specialty pizza made with a six-cheese blend of Mozzarella, Parmesan, Romano, Asiago, Provolone and Fontina, and topped with both hickory-smoked bacon and Canadian bacon.

“Our newest pizza creation definitely answers the call for anyone looking to ‘bring home the bacon’ Thanksgiving Eve and throughout the holiday season,” said Papa John’s Chief Marketing Officer, Andrew Varga.

In 2009, U.S. consumption of turkey averaged 17 pounds per person, while the average American eats 17.9 pounds of bacon per year, making bacon an equally popular choice for not just Thanksgiving leftovers, but pizza, too. So Papa John’s is using its better ingredients to satisfy bacon cravings all holiday season long.

“We think this is the perfect time to introduce a new bacon pizza,” Varga said. “Year after year, we see a huge spike in pizza sales the day before Thanksgiving. Add to that the hundreds of bacon fan pages, dedicated blogs, its pervasiveness in pop culture and the fact that it is one of our top selling ingredients, it is clear that consumers have an enormous appetite and affinity for bacon.”

The Double Bacon Six Cheese pizza is available for only $11.00 at all Papa John’s restaurants, and can be ordered online at the recently revamped Papa John’s online ordering site, www.papajohns.com. The new site includes pizza builder graphics that allow customers to put together their own pizzas through an interactive pizza-making application, showing them a visual of their finished product that matches in-restaurant topping specifications.

The site also offers consumers the only national online pizza loyalty program, Papa Points, in which customers can earn points towards free pizza with each online purchase. Once enrolled, customers earn one point for every $5 spent online; when customers accumulate 25 points, they receive a free pizza with their next online pizza purchase.

Restaurant News Bites: Chipotle, McDonald’s, Cracker Barrel

RestaurantNews — Sat, 06 Nov 2010 03:00:11 +0000

Chipotle Mexican Grill has announced it will be a participant in the Facebook Deals launch. Chipotle’s Facebook Deals will be offered to guests of the restaurant when they check in using the Facebook Places application on their smartphone. On Saturday, November 13 and 14, and the following weekend of November 20 and 21, guests can check in on the application while at any participating Chipotle and get a buy-one-get-one entrée.

In other Chipotle news, the company announced a team has been working on an Asian concept that would follow the Chipotle model. Founder Steve Ells, said the company hopes to have one of the Asian restaurants opened in 2011.

McDonald’s Corporation has announced Denis Hennequin is resigning as President of McDonald’s Europe effective November 30. Hennequin is leaving his post at McDonald’s to assume the role of Chief Executive Officer of the Accor Hotel Group. He had been with McDonald’s for more than 25 years and assumed his most recent role in 2005.

The McDonald’s concept has changed since the days of 15-cent burgers and fries for a dime. The company’s latest concept is modern and caters to those of us with a busy schedule. The new designs features minor, but noticeable changes to the McDonald’s color scheme and arches, but the real changes happen inside. The new interiors feature oversized booths, free Wi-Fi, flat-screen TVs, and a host of other contemporary amenities. The company plans to remodel more than 600 stores in 2011.

Cracker Barrel Old Country Store has announced a shakeup in management. Many of the moves being made will shift executives from one position to another as part of the company’s strategy for sustained success.

Papa John’s released the results of their third quarter reports. The company reports an increase in earnings per diluted share from $0.30 in 2009 to $0.32 at the time of the report. While the EPS may have increased, the company reported that Domestic system-wide comparable sales declined by 0.6% from last year. However, those figures were partially offset by a 19.8% increase in international sales from a year ago.

Dunkin’ Donuts has introduced a new limited time menu item for breakfast on the go. Guests can now get the delicious taste of pancakes and sausage with the company’s Pancake Bites. The bite-sized breakfast snacks are made from a sausage link wrapped in a maple-flavored pancake. Pancake bites are available at participating Dunkin’ Donuts throughout the country.

Jamba Juice has announced a purchase agreement for 15 new stores in Denver. The agreement was reached with a group of current Jamba Juice franchise operators. The deal is part of the company’s long-term franchise growth strategy to enter new markets with proven franchise operators.

Spicy Pickle Franchising has announced a new Chief Financial Officer. The company announced that Clint Woodruff would join the company as CFO. The company also announced the addition of a Chief Marketing Officer. Rob Elliot will fill that role, though he will initially be considered a consultant until company finances allow the role to become permanent.

Junior’s, a classic Brooklyn restaurant, celebrated its 60^th anniversary on Tuesday by serving its famous cheesecake for just 60 cents a slice. Over the years, the restaurant’s cheesecake has come to be its calling card, being named the best cheesecake in the city a number of different times.

Papa John’s Names 2009 Franchise Operators of the Year

RestaurantNews — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 00:45:51 +0000

Papa John’s International (NASDAQ: PZZA) today announced its 2009 Franchise Operators of the Year:

Milan Enterprises, LTD (E. Brunswick, N.J.), National Small Group Franchisee of the Year (1-3 restaurants) – Rana Ali and Syed Shah
ATM Pizza, Inc. (New York, N.Y.), National Medium Group Franchisee of the Year (4-10 restaurants) – Ajay Choudhary
Pizza Ventures of San Antonio, LLC (San Antonio, Texas), Large Group Franchisee of the Year (11 or more restaurants) – Clark Mandigo
Inversiones Blumaro, S.A. (Dominican Republic), International Franchisee of the Year – Isabel Turrull

Recognized before their peers at the company’s Annual Operator’s Conference, the winners were selected primarily for demonstrating Papa John’s commitment to serving a superior-quality pizza, world-class customer service and outstanding community involvement. All four winning franchisees also were recognized for adhering to Papa John’s high standards, and running successful restaurant operations.

“Our winners do an excellent job delivering on our ‘Better Ingredients, Better Pizza’ brand promise,” said Jude Thompson, Papa John’s President and Chief Operating Officer. “These franchisees are excellent role models for the entire Papa John’s system and it is an honor to recognize their efforts.”

Headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky, Papa John’s International, Inc. (NASDAQ: PZZA) is the world’s third largest pizza company. For nine of the last 10 years, consumers have rated Papa John’s No. 1 in customer satisfaction among all national pizza chains in the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI). Papa John’s also was honored by Restaurants & Institutions Magazine (R&I) with the 2009 Gold Award for Consumers’ Choice in Chains in the pizza segment. For more information about the company or to order pizza online, visit Papa John’s at www.papajohns.com.

The Race is On! NCAA Basketball Coaches Ask Fan’s Help to Fight Cancer in Papa John’s Coaches Code Challenge

RestaurantNews — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 01:21:36 +0000

The brackets are set and NCAA^® March Madness^® has begun. But the coaches who have advanced to the tournament aren’t just fighting for a championship title — they’re fighting against cancer in the Papa John’s Coaches Code Challenge to raise money for The V Foundation for Cancer Research and the Kay Yow/WBCA Cancer Fund.

Beginning today, in partnership with the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) and the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA), college basketball fans who enter their favorite coach’s unique promo code while ordering online at www.papajohns.com will automatically designate $1 of their Papa John’s order to The V Foundation for Cancer Research and the Kay Yow/WBCA Cancer Fund in partnership with the NABC and WBCA. The special offer includes an XL two-topping pizza for $12, with $1 from each order going to fight cancer.

A complete list of unique promo codes, alphabetical by school for both the men’s and women’s NCAA basketball teams, is included below. The general format of the promo code is the coach’s last name, but coaches with duplicate last names will incorporate their first initial in the code. For those fans who don’t have a team in the tournament but still want to contribute, they are invited to use the generic promo code BEATCANCER.

“March Madness is undoubtedly the most exciting part of the season, and NABC coaches are eager to harness the excitement and power of their respective fan bases to raise money for The V Foundation for Cancer Research,” said Jim Haney, executive director of the NABC. Echoing those sentiments, Beth Bass, chief executive officer of the WBCA, said “While it’s every man or woman for themselves on the basketball court, the fight against cancer is a cause everyone can rally behind all year long.”

Throughout the Tournament, coaches and college athletic departments will be reminding fans of the challenge and their respective promo codes – all in a race to raise money and earn bragging rights as the school that best supports its basketball program’s fight against cancer.

Papa John’s, the Official Pizza of the NCAA®, will keep a running score of the donations received on Papa John’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/papajohns and will distribute regular updates on the standings and total money raised.

“Everyone’s an NCAA® basketball fan this time of year and Papa John’s is extremely proud to help the NABC and WBCA turn that passion toward a great cause,” said Andrew Varga, chief marketing officer for Papa John’s. “No matter how your team fares on the court, you can play an active role in helping your school win in the fight against cancer.”

The challenge ends at midnight ET on April 6. The total donations received as part of the Coaches Code Challenge will be divided evenly between the two charities. March is one of the busiest months for Papa John’s. The company expects to sell 10 million pizzas in just the first two weeks of the NCAA® tournament, with sales ramping up as lower-seeded teams advance.

About Papa John’s

Headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky, Papa John’s International, Inc. (NASDAQ: PZZA) is the world’s third largest pizza company. For nine of the last 10 years, consumers have rated Papa John’s No. 1 in customer satisfaction among all national pizza chains in the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI). Papa John’s also was honored by Restaurants & Institutions Magazine (R&I) with the 2009 Gold Award for Consumers’ Choice in Chains in the pizza segment and was named 2007 Pizza Today Chain of the Year. For more information about the company or to order pizza online, visit Papa John’s at www.papajohns.com.

About The V Foundation for Cancer Research

The V Foundation for Cancer Research was founded in 1993 by ESPN and the late Jim Valvano, legendary North Carolina State basketball coach and ESPN commentator. Since 1993, The Foundation has raised more than $90 million to fund cancer research grants nationwide. It awards 100 percent of all direct cash donations and net proceeds of events directly to cancer research and related programs. The Foundation, which has received seven consecutive top 4-star ratings from Charity Navigator, awards grants through a competitive awards process strictly supervised by a Scientific Advisory Board. For more information on The V Foundation or to make a donation, please visit www.jimmyv.org.

About the Kay Yow/WBCA Cancer Fund

The Kay Yow/WBCA Cancer Fund® is a 501 c(3) charitable organization committed to being a part of finding an answer in the fight against women’s cancers through raising money for scientific research, assisting the underserved and unifying people for a common cause. Donations can be made at www.JimmyV.org or by calling 1-800-4JimmyV. All donations are tax deductible. For more information, visit www.wbca.org/kayyowwbcacancerfund.asp.

About the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC)

Located in Kansas City, Missouri, the NABC was founded in 1927 by Forrest “Phog” Allen, the legendary basketball coach at the University of Kansas. Allen, a student of James Naismith, the inventor of basketball, organized coaches into this collective group to serve as Guardians of the Game. The NABC currently claims nearly 5,000 members consisting primarily of university and college men’s basketball coaches. All members of the NABC are expected to uphold the core values of being a Guardian of the Game by bringing attention to the positive aspects of the sport of basketball and the role coaches play in the academic and athletic lives of today’s student-athletes. The four core values of being a Guardian of the Game are advocacy, leadership, service and education. Additional information about the NABC, its programs and membership, can be found at www.nabc.com.

About the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA)

Founded in 1981, the WBCA promotes women’s basketball by unifying coaches at all levels to develop a reputable identity for the sport and to foster and promote the development of the game as a sport for women and girls. For additional information about the WBCA, please visit wbca.org.

Papa John’s Challenges NCAA® Basketball Fans to Dish out Donations to Support Coaches, Fight Cancer

RestaurantNews — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 21:01:57 +0000

When it comes to cheering for their favorite schools during NCAA^® March Madness^®, basketball fans are being asked to put their money where their mouth is – in the Papa John’s “Coaches Code Challenge” to raise money for The V Foundation for Cancer Research and The Kay Yow/WBCA Cancer Fund.

Beginning Tuesday, March 16 in partnership with the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) and the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA), college basketball fans who enter their favorite coach’s unique promo code while ordering online at www.papajohns.com, will automatically designate $1 of their Papa John’s order to The V Foundation for Cancer Research and the Kay Yow/WBCA Cancer Fund in partnership with the NABC and WBCA. The special offer includes an XL two-topping pizza for $12, with $1 from each order going to fight cancer.

Papa John’s, the Official Pizza of NCAA® March Madness®, will keep a running score of the donations received on Papa John’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/papajohns and will distribute regular updates on the standings and total money raised.

“Everyone’s an NCAA basketball fan this time of year and Papa John’s is extremely proud to help the NABC and WBCA turn that passion toward a great cause,” said Andrew Varga, chief marketing officer for Papa John’s. “No matter how your team fares on the court, you can play an active role in helping your school win in the fight against cancer.”

The challenge ends at midnight ET on April 6. The total donations received as part of the Coaches Code Challenge will be divided evenly between the two charities. March is one of the busiest months for Papa John’s. The company expects to sell upwards of 10 million pizzas during the NCAA tournament, with sales ramping up as lower-seeded teams advance.

About Papa John’s

Headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky, Papa John’s International, Inc. (NASDAQ: PZZA) is the world’s third largest pizza company. For nine of the last 10 years, consumers have rated Papa John’s No. 1 in customer satisfaction among all national pizza chains in the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI). Papa John’s also was honored by Restaurants & Institutions Magazine (R&I) with the 2009 Gold Award for Consumers’ Choice in Chains in the pizza segment and was named 2007 Pizza Today Chain of the Year. For more information about the company or to order pizza online, visit Papa John’s at www.papajohns.com.

About The V Foundation for Cancer Research

About the Kay Yow/WBCA Cancer Fund

About the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC)

About the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA)