Finder's Keepers! Papa John's Founder Ups Ante To $250,000 As Search Continues for Original '72 Z28 Camaro
LOUISVILLE, Ky., Jun 26, 2009 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- America, Papa John's has a huge amount of "dough" waiting for you. No rolling pin required.
This dough is in the form of $250,000 - a quarter million dollars! - which is the new reward available to anyone who can locate the original 1972 Z28 Camaro "Papa" John Schnatter sold in 1984 to start his pizza company.
Beginning last month, Schnatter, the recognizable spokesperson best known for delivering the "Better Ingredients. Better Pizza." message in commercials, set out on a cross-country "Road Trip" in a replica of the Z28 he sold in 1984 to open his first Papa John's restaurant in the back of his father's tavern. As part of the trip, the Papa John's Founder announced that he would award $25,000 to the person who locates his original Camaro.
Within hours, Schnatter had leads coming in from car enthusiasts and fans all over the country. Given all the support and interest, he's never felt closer to finding that car and to demonstrate his gratitude and commitment to the search, he's increasing the reward by 10 times the initial amount.
"We've talked to so many car aficionados that we're convinced the car is out there somewhere," Schnatter said. "It's not a car that someone would easily turn over to the scrap heap. The real point is, while this car may not be a true classic, it's near and dear to my heart. It would mean so much if I had any part of that car back. Once people hear the story of why I sold the car, it resonates with them. They understand that sometimes, pursuing your dream requires a heart-wrenching sacrifice...not to mention a lot of hard work and perseverance."
"Papa's Road Trip" and the search for the Camaro is being chronicled by two intern sidekicks who have and will continue to log Schnatter's road trip adventures online at www.papasroadtrip.com via an array of photos, videos, blogs, tweets and rules for the contest. Also at www.papasroadtrip.com, Schnatter and the sidekicks continue to release new information about the original '72 Z28 Camaro in the hopes that someone will reveal the car's whereabouts. The $250,000 will be paid one-time only and must include title to the car.
Also in support of the Road Trip, Papa John's developed a much talked about "augmented reality" icon of Schnatter's Camaro on the bottom of more than 30 million pizza boxes across the country. A new frontier for marketers, augmented reality is an online application that allows the user to interact in real-time with computer-generated imagery. Available for reviewing at www.papasroadtrip.com, when the icon is recognized by a webcam, customers may virtually take part in Papa's Road Trip by driving Schnatter's Camaro and along the way be granted exclusive discounts on future Papa John's purchases, displayed on billboards along the virtual road.
The Road Trip continues on July 4 in Daytona Beach, FL before making its way through the Midwest in the middle of the month. More information is available at www.papasroadtrip.com.
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 highly regarded American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI). Papa John's also ranks first among pizza companies in the 2008 Brand Keys Customer Loyalty Engagement Index, was honored by Restaurants & Institutions Magazine (R&I) with the 2008 Silver 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.
SOURCE: Papa John's
Papa John's
Tish Muldoon, 502-261-4987
Sr. Director, Corporate Communications
or
Fleishman-Hillard
Doug Terfehr, 314-982-9134