Papa John's Asks White Supremacists To Stop Buying Its Pizza

Papa John’s released a statement Monday telling white supremacists not to buy their pizza after an alt-right website called the restaurant chain “pro-white.”

The white supremacist website the Daily Stormer endorsed Papa John’s after CEO John Schnatter blamed the NFL’s response to players’ protests of racism for the company’s decline in sales. In a Wednesday conference call with ESPN, Schnatter expressed his disappointment toward the league, saying the league has “poor leadership” that “hurt Papa John’s shareholders.”

After the Daily Stormer called Papa John’s a “pro-white” company, a representative for the company claimed they were unaware of this endorsement. Following social media backlash and support of Schnatter’s statements, Peter Collins, senior director of Papa John’s public relations, issued a statement Monday disavowing the alt-right’s endorsement.

“We condemn racism in all forms and any and all hate groups that support it," Collins told the Louisville Courier Journal on Monday. "We do not want these individuals or groups to buy our pizza."

According to Steve Ritchie, Papa John’s president and chief operating officer, research determined Papa John’s was the most recognized NFL sponsor for the past two years. The chain is recognized as the official pizza of the NFL. The data indicated the pizza chain’s performance correlated with the NFL’s performance. The company allegedly lost $70 million in value from its connection to the NFL and declining ratings. The chain said the decline is responsible for fewer people ordering their food on game days. Papa John’s executives explained the chain pulled a large amount of its NFL shield and “official sponsor” advertising, prompting the NFL to give company future advertising spots.

After Schnatter made his comments, Pizza Hut and Digiorno both publicly acknowledged Schnatter’s comments and the Daily Stormer’s seal of approval toward them, saying their respective companies had not experienced a decline in sales.