This year has marked a time for some significant changes at Papa John’s. The company is one of the leading pizza franchises in the world. There is a new chief executive officer leading the corporation, and the newest member of the board of directors was recently announced.
CEO Steve Ritchie reports that NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal has joined the team of this pizza empire. Known as Shaq to his many fans, the basketball player turned businessman has become a multi-location owner of his own Papa John’s pizza stores. The first of many more to come has opened in Atlanta. He has entered into a long termagreement with the company, and the change is expected to be an exciting change to the brand’s image.
The franchisee brings his own unique and well-known style to his stores. Shaquille O’Neal has also become the spokesman and brand ambassador for the international franchise corporation. Shaq has said that he plans to invest in at least nine pizza locations. Shaq’s pizza shop is already in operation on the campus of Georgia Tech. He has marketing experience and business savvy, and the company plans to soon release a series of commercials starring this popular international figure. Part of the deal with O’Neal includes the transfer of over 87,000 shares of Papa John’s stock. The total value of the transaction was reported to be over $8.5 million in cash and stock.
Shaq has been a restaurateur for the last several years. He has his own signature style that attracts customers of all ages. He owns and operates a donut shop from Krispy Creme. He formed his own fried chicken restaurant called Big Chicken. He is also a previous owner of numerous locations of the Five Guys hamburger franchise. His interest in the pizza company began when they were a sponsor of a recent Super Bowl. He likes the brand and what itvstand for, and he likes the taste of the pizza. When he entered into discussion with Steve Ritchie, both men were pleased with the concept of Shaq as the brand ambassador and a company investor.
The company has a new pizza option in store for its customers. The pizza is one of Shaq’s favorites. It will be a big pizza and loaded with mozzarella cheese, sausage and pepperoni. Shaq will offer the over-sized pizza at his location, and it will be available at all of their locations. The name of the new pizza pie is Shaq-eroni, and it will soon be added to the menu. He invites everyone to visit his locations across Atlanta. He frequently stops in at all of his restaurants on a regular basis, and he enjoys meeting with his customers and his staff members. O’Neil strives to make his stores a fun place to come, and there are many of his personal mementos on display for all customers to enjoy.
The organization operates out of its headquarters in Louisville, Kentucky. Steve Ritchie has been with the company for many years. He has been there as the company has added thousands of franchise locations in the United States and dozens of other countries. The company offers a variety of prepared crowd pleasers for pick-up and delivery.
