Papa John's Development beyond the United States Continues Strong in 2004
"I'm extremely proud of the International team's accomplishments this year," remarked Bill Van Epps, Chief Operations Officer of Papa John's International, Inc. "We've nearly doubled the number of countries with a Papa John's presence and now have more than 600 international restaurants slated to open over the next seven years."
Papa John's opened its first international restaurant in Mexico City in 1998. Today, the company operates more than 2,800 restaurants in the United States and 18 international markets. Through the third quarter of 2004, Papa John's opened 47 new international locations--four in Shanghai, China; six in Mexico; one in Trinidad; 10 in Seoul, South Korea; two in Athens, Greece; two in Canada; nine in the United Kingdom; one in Lima, Peru; two in Moscow, Russia; one in Caguas, Puerto Rico; two in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; one in Nassau, Bahamas; four in Bahrain; one in Oman; and one in Caracas, Venezuela.
Trinidad and Tobago:
Papa John's opened in the Caribbean island of Trinidad on January 19, 2004. Trinidadians welcomed the first Papa John's restaurant at the corner of Eastern Main and Riverside Road with a grand opening celebration and pizza cutting ceremony. This restaurant represents the first of three planned restaurants in Trinidad and Tobago by master franchise group Elysians, LTD. owned by Dr. Harry Singh. Ramnarine Samaroo, a native of Trinidad, is the principal operator.
This dine-in restaurant's menu features a combination of Papa John's traditional menu items and those unique to the market, including: the Island Spice pizza featuring fresh diced tomatoes, green peppers, pineapple, crushed red pepper and Papa John's signature Garlic Sauce; the Amigos pizza topped with ground beef, mushrooms, onions, green peppers and jalapeno peppers; and the Marinera pizza with tuna, onions and green peppers. Customers can also enjoy ice cream and beverages including sodas, juices and coffee.
Peru:
Papa John's expanded its presence into Peru by opening its first restaurant in the country's capital, Lima. The dine-in restaurant, located at Enrique Palacios #8, opened on March 9. Gonzalo Ianata of Corporacion Peruana De Restaurants, SA is the owner of Peru's first Papa John's restaurant and Carlos Marsano is the principal operator.
Peruvian customers can choose from a variety of menu options -- traditional Papa John's menu items as well as items unique to Papa John's Latin American markets including: the Espanola, the Spanish Fiesta pizza, topped with chorizo, onions, black olives, green olives, mushrooms and Papa John's signature Garlic Sauce; the Margherita pizza featuring fresh-sliced tomatoes, extra cheese and oregano; and the Americana pizza with ham and cheese. Also, Papa John's customers in Peru may complement their meal with a variety of desserts.
Bahrain and Oman:
The Jawad Business Group, owned by master licensee Faisal Jawad and operated by Tapan Vaidya, introduced "Better Ingredients. Better Pizza." to Bahrain and Oman during the third quarter of 2004. Customers welcomed Papa John's to the Barbar Mall in Bahrain on September 2 and at Lulu Center in Oman on September 6.
Customers at these dine-in restaurants can build a delicious meal from an extensive menu of traditional and non-traditional items exclusively for Papa John's international markets. Some of the unique menu items include potato wedge appetizers, pasta dishes, salads and specialty pizzas including: the Fisherman's Catch pizza combining shrimp, crab meat, green pepper, onions and Papa John's signature Garlic Sauce; the Hot and Spicy pizza featuring ground beef, onions, green peppers, fresh tomatoes and jalapeno peppers; and the Indian Splendour, one of Papa John's "Pizzas of the World," topped with tandoori chicken, onions, roasted garlic and tomatoes served with a side of yogurt sauce. Dessert and beverage options are also available to customers.
Celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, Papa John's remains focused on providing customers with superior-quality products including U.S. offerings of original and thin crust pizzas, breadsticks, cheesesticks and Papa's Chickenstrips. While international menus may vary based on the needs and preferences of different cultures, Papa John's core superior-quality pizza product remains the same the world over. Papa John's uses only fresh-packed tomato sauce, made from vine-ripened tomatoes, which go from the vine to the can in an average of six hours; cheese made from 100% real cheese; 100% real beef and pork that contain no fillers; tender all-white meat chicken; and other high-quality toppings. In some international markets, Papa John's restaurants purchase their fresh dough from third-party bakeries that meet Papa John's high quality standards and expectations.
In the five most recent surveys (1999-2003, as published in The Wall Street Journal), Papa John's received the highest ratings among all national fast food restaurants in The American Customer Satisfaction Index survey conducted by The National Quality Research Center at the University of Michigan Business School. Papa John's was rated above the national average for all industries and ranked the highest in the retail sector. The company ranked first overall among the national delivery and take-out pizza chains in the 2004 Restaurants & Institutions Consumers' Choice in Chains survey. Papa John's has recently been recognized for local market Best Pizza wins in various cities across the country, including Los Angeles, Washington D.C., Atlanta, Dallas, Indianapolis, Orlando and Phoenix.
Headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky, Papa John's International, Inc. is the third-largest pizza company in America. As of October 24, 2004, Papa John's had 2,808 restaurants (567 company-owned and 2,241 franchised) operating in 49 states and 18 international markets. The company is also the franchisor of 121 Perfect Pizza restaurants in the United Kingdom. For more information about the company or to order pizza online, please visit www.papajohns.com.
CONTACT: Papa John's International, Inc.
Karen Sherman, 502-261-4987
karensherman@papajohns.com
SOURCE: Papa John's International, Inc.