Papa John’s Pizza

From Madison Pizza Wiki
Revision as of 07:11, 22 October 2026 by Jacques (talk | contribs) (Add the 2000–2004 years from the newspaper research recorded in the database; earlier text kept)

Papa John's is a national delivery chain from Louisville, Kentucky. It came to Madison in the autumn of 1996, when the market had just been left by Domino's and Little Caesar's.

History

  • October 1996: the first help-wanted advertisements[1].
  • About November 1996: the first store opens at 515 University Ave., in the LaCiel apartment building on campus[2].
  • February 1997: Samara Kalk reviews it in "Cheap Eats". A second store at East Washington Avenue and Milwaukee Street is to open in March, followed by Middleton, Sun Prairie and Raymond Road[2].
  • August 15, 1997: the third Madison-area store opens at 6615 University Ave. in Middleton, which the franchisee, Bob Tobe, makes his Wisconsin office. He plans a Sun Prairie store in October and three to five more by the summer of 1998[3][4].
  • December 10, 2000: a manager leaving the 515 University Ave. store is robbed by two men with knives[5].
  • January 2004: a help-wanted advertisement lists three stores, 6615 University Ave., 101 River Place and 6619 McKee Rd.; the campus store is not among them[6].
  • July 29, 2005: the store at 6619 McKee Rd. is held up at knifepoint just after 5 p.m.[7][8]
  • December 2006: the University Avenue store gives a free large pizza to students who program its number into their phones; Papa John's and Domino's are among the campus pizzerias open until 3 a.m. on bar nights[9].

Pizza

"The company does have a couple of unusual signature touches", Kalk wrote in 1997: a hand-thrown crust "with a huge outer lip that doubles as a soft breadstick", a small container of garlic dipping sauce in the corner of the box, and two large pepperoncini with each pizza. A small 10-inch cheese pizza was $5.30[2].

Trivia

  • Kalk began her review with the state of the market: "It seemed, for a while at least, that Madison had reached a saturation point for pizza delivery chains. Just two years ago national giants Little Caesar's and Domino's had nearly 20 Madison and area locations between them", and now only a Little Caesar's pizza station in a Kmart remained. "Which all goes to show that Pizza Pit rules this town"[2].
  • The franchisee's view of the competition: Pizza Hut known for variety, Domino's for delivery, Little Caesar's for being cheap, and Papa John's for quality[2].
  • In 1997 Papa John's had 1,200 stores after ten years and was the fastest-growing pizza chain[2].
  • A delivery driver was robbed in the parking lot of the University Avenue store in February 1997[10].

Locations

  • 515 University Ave. (from about November 1996; open in December 2000[5]; gone by January 2004[6])
  • East Washington Avenue at Milwaukee Street (planned for March 1997)
  • 6615 University Ave., Middleton (from August 15, 1997)
  • 101 River Place, Monona (by January 2004)[6]
  • 6619 McKee Rd. (by January 2004)[6][7]

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ (1996, October 6). Help-wanted advertisement, Papa John's (first mention in Madison). Wisconsin State Journal. p. 93. Newspapers.com image 405274226. Seen in search results only; the page has not been read.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 Kalk, S. (1997, February 8). "Papa John's finds niche." The Capital Times. p. 40. Newspapers.com image 519930305.
  3. ↑ (1997, August 14). Briefly: Papa John's Pizza to open its third Madison-area location, 6615 University Ave., Middleton. The Capital Times. p. 21. Newspapers.com image 522165703.
  4. ↑ Winter, E. (1997, August 15). Changes: Papa John's Pizza opens its third Madison-area restaurant, 6615 University Ave., Middleton. Wisconsin State Journal. p. 8. Newspapers.com image 401985772.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 (2000, December 11). "Two men sought in robbery at Papa John's." Wisconsin State Journal. p. 3. Newspapers.com image 407004298.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 (2004, January 27). Papa John's help-wanted advertisement listing 6615 University Ave., 101 River Pl. and 6619 McKee Rd. Wisconsin State Journal. p. 4. Newspapers.com image 406844208.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 (2005, July 30). "Police: Papa John's robbed at knifepoint." madison.com.
  8. ↑ (2005, July 30). "Pizzeria held up": Papa John's, 6619 McKee Road, Friday 5:11 p.m. The Capital Times. p. 15. Newspapers.com image 525993934.
  9. ↑ Abing, C. (2006, December 4). "Area pizzerias vie for a slice of student appetites." The Daily Cardinal.
  10. ↑ (1997, February 4). "Armed man robs pizza deliverer." Wisconsin State Journal. p. 11. Newspapers.com image 405346931.
Retrieved from "https://madisonpizza.wiki/index.php?title=Papa_John’s_Pizza&oldid=7105"