John Schnatter, better known as the founder of Papa John’s Pizza, has resigned from his position as chairman of the restaurant franchise after it came to light that he made racist comments during a conference. A new chairman of Papa John’s will be named “in the coming weeks.”
John Schnatter, the founder and public face of Papa John's pizza, has resigned as the company's chairman after it emerged he used the N-word on a conference call in May. https://t.co/01ICNa73zC pic.twitter.com/MQrhCrawpJ
— CNN Breaking News (@cnnbrk) July 12, 2018
According to reports, Schnatter made these remarks during a call with a public relations firm which was geared towards helping the company avoid PR issues. His comments were along the lines of: “Colonel Sanders called blacks n*****s” and never faced any public outcry.”
Schnatter has since admitted to using the racial slur and has released a statement expressing his remorse for his actions:
“News reports attributing the use of inappropriate and hurtful language to me during a media training session regarding race are true,” said Schnatter. “Regardless of the context, I apologize. Simply stated, racism has no place in our society.”
As a result of Schnatter’s insensitive comments, the business he grew from the ground up has actually seen its stock soar. Shares of the chain were pushed up by as much as 13 percent by investors on Thursday morning as news broke that Papa John’s would distance itself from its founder.
His resignation is a step in the right direction for the pizza establishment, as racism should not be allowed to continue without consequence.
Featured Image via Flickr/Mr. Blue MauMau
