Papa John's CEO says recipe hasn't changed, isn't focused on Schnatter's 'not the same pizza' comments

Sarah Ladd | Courier Journal

Show Caption Hide Caption '40 pizzas in the last 30 days': John Schnatter claims to interviewer John Schnatter's interview with WDRB included remarks similar to those he has previously made regarding his separation from Papa John's Pizza.

Papa John's CEO Rob Lynch pushed back on company founder John Schnatter's claims that the pizza tastes differently, insisting that the recipe hasn't changed.

It all started when Schnatter, in an interview with Louisville's FOX affiliate, WDRB, said he believed a "day of reckoning will come" for the leaders in the company now for betraying him and said they "used the black community and race as a way to steal the company."

The result of that, he said, was that the pizza is just different. He said he'd had 40 pizzas over the last 30 days and "it's not the same pizza."

“We haven’t made any changes to the way we make it or what goes into our products,” Lynch, who came on as CEO in August, told CNBC's "Squawk on the Street" Wednesday.

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Lynch also said the company isn't focusing on what Schnatter is saying.

“We don’t really focus on that," he told CNBC. "Mr. Schnatter is entitled to his opinion. We’re focused on doing the things that are going to move the business forward."

Schnatter also reiterated his belief that members of the pizza chain's board of directors conspired to force his resignation as chairman in July 2018 following a report that he used a racial slur during a conference call.