Are You Ready for Some Football? Papa John's Pizza Takes Aim at Getting Brits in Touch with American Football
LOUISVILLE, Ky. & LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 22, 2007--As American Football fever grips the UK with the arrival of the top professional league at Wembley on October 28, a US-based pizza chain is hoping to convert a new wave of Brits to the sport.
How? By offering a tool that will make even the novice fan appear to be an expert on the game, aptly named the "Official Brit's Guide to American Football."
The handbook, available at Papa John's restaurants throughout London and at www.papajohns.co.uk, swiftly outlines the history and nuances of the sport, as well as offering tips to readers on how best to enjoy the game from the comforts of their home.
Papa John's, which has more than 3,100 restaurants worldwide including nearly 100 in the UK, is the official pizza or corporate partner of multiple professional football teams in America, including the Dallas Cowboys, Denver Broncos, Indianapolis Colts, Philadelphia Eagles, Tennessee Titans, Washington Redskins, and one of the teams competing on Sunday, the Miami Dolphins.
Papa John's is led by CEO Nigel Travis, a Woodford, Essex native who fell in love with American football when first introduced to it in Miami in 1989, an affection that has continued to grow even since joining the company in 2005.
He said: "As a Brit working in the US I was quite sceptical about the game at first, as my sport loves were football and cricket so I wasn't sure it would be for me. But now I am hooked and I think many UK sports lovers will be the same after this weekend."
As the Dolphins are Travis' favourite team, the pizza delivery and carry-out company has joined forces with the Dolphins' official UK Supporters' Club to provide every club member with a complimentary pizza redeemable online at www.papajohns.co.uk. And Travis will be officially inducted into the club just minutes before their bandwagon rolls into Wembley.
He said: "While the Dolphins are struggling this year, I will nonetheless take great pride to be a member of their official fan club in my home country. I'd love to see them win and it is great to think that all the club members will be celebrating with one of our pizzas if the team can deliver the goods at Wembley."
Anyone visiting a Papa John's restaurant in the London area in the run up to the game will likely see the restaurant employees decked out in football wear.
Travis added: "As an American company that is expanding in this country we thought it would be great to have some fun with our employees and customers and help promote the game and their enjoyment of it, and with all the activities we have planned including the Brit's Guide should really do that. I wish I'd had it when I first started watching the game."
Anyone wishing to access the Brit's guide or pre-order the perfect game-day meal can do so at www.papajohns.co.uk for delivery during the game.
Headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky, Papa John's International, Inc. (NASDAQ: PZZA) is the world's third-largest pizza company, operating in all 50 U.S. states and 32 countries. For eight years running, 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); and in the UK, Papa John's has been named Delivery Operator of the Year among pizza chains in 2004 and 2005 by the Pizza and Pasta Association.
CONTACT: Papa John's International, Inc.
Chris Sternberg, 502-261-4934
Senior Vice President, Corporate Communications
or
Papa John's United Kingdom
Jean-Michel Fabre, +44 (0) 1932 57 4375
Marketing & Supply Chain Director
SOURCE: Papa John's