Papa John's with Lamar Woods

"Papa John's with Lamar Woods" is Episode 183 of *Doughboys*, hosted by Mike Mitchell and Nick Wiger. "Papa John's with Lamar Woods" was released on December 13, 2018.

## Synopsis

Actor and comedian Lamar Woods (*New Girl*, *It's A Party*) returns to the show to review a pizza chain whose history has been stained by controversy, Papa John's. Plus, a fan-gifted Minions edition of Snack or Wack.

## Nick's intro

Mick's Lounge in Jeffersonville, Alabama seems like just another unremarkable dive bar in a sleepy Midwest town, but it's actually ground zero for one of the most game-changing and controversial chains in contemporary fast food.

In 1984, the owner of Mick's Lounge gave his ambitious young son, John Schnatter, permission to bust the wall out of a broom closet and install a used pizza oven. This generous paternal gift of free real estate solved one of the biggest challenges faced by other aspiring small-business owners and Schnatter's closet pizzeria slinging five dollar made-to-order pies became a quick success with local barflies.

Schnatter also had the luxury of living rent-free with his parents and so was able to stockpile the revenue from his fledgling mini-pizza parlor so he could open a standalone store next door, where he hit upon one of his key innovations: dippin' sauce to liven up the oft-discarded pizza crust.

With per-store sales numbers that dwarfed nearby chain pizzerias, Schnatter franchised his concept to take them on head-to-head, and within ten years of starting his business, he had grown his restaurant to over a thousand locations.

Yet Schnatter's business acumen was exceeded by his egomania.

Not only did he name his chain after his own self-granted nickname, he put his face on pizza boxes and starred in his own commercials like a wooden, unlikable Dave Thomas. In the self-mythologizing typical of his type, Schnatter told entrepreneur.com in 2014, "I am the American dream," downplaying the enormous advantages that gave him his accelerated start. And naturally Schnatter, like many "self-made men" became an advocate of supply-side tax cuts, slashing social services, and other conservative political causes that grant more benefits to wealthy people like him.

2012 was Schnatter's first foray into political hot water as he publicly railed against Obamacare for forcing businesses like his to pay for employee health care. In 2017, he complained about NFL players protesting police brutality, claiming it hurt his bottom line by driving down football ratings on Sundays, a major day for pizza delivery. This led to him being deposed as CEO, but kept on as Chairman.

But, like with Paula Dean and Hulk Hogan, his most devastating controversy was when the mask came off in a private moment.

In mid-2018, it was reported Schnatter used the 'n-word' on a conference call, leading the company to sever ties. Schnatter's status as his brand's IRL mascot made it the most awkward forced exit this side of Jared Fogle, and the company fumbled its handling. Typical of their damage-control operation, the chain produced a bizarre self-shaming apology video where plaintive piano played under screencaps of customer tweets that said things like "I'd rather have frozen pizza than racist pizza."

But, like Subway, the franchise marches on without its departed face, and maintains 5000 locations that employ over 20,000 workers, many of whom, despite its founder's whining, receive company-provided health insurance.

And so continues the saga of the once closet-sized business that John Schnatter started over thirty years ago with a big handout from his Papa.

This week on *Doughboys*: Papa John's.

## Fork rating

* Double Cheeseburger Pizza (Original Crust)
* Pepperoni, Sausage & Six Cheese Pizza (Pan Crust)
* Garden Fresh Pizza (Gluten-free Crust)
* Buffalo Chicken Poppers
* Cheesesticks
* Cinnamon Pull Aparts
* many dipping sauces
 Mike Mitchell
 Lamar Woods

## Snack or Wack

In Snack or Wack, The Doughboys have a snack and rate it either 'snack' or 'wack.'

For this episode, they have some Minion-themed candies that had been given to them by a fan after a live episode. (For the record, they appear to have already tried these candies in this episode six months prior.)

Everyone liked them a lot, especially when mixing them with a swig of Orange Crush.

 Mike Mitchell
 Lamar Woods

## Quotes

**Lamar:** He's still out there, gettin' away with it.

## #hashtags

* #ColdHaver or #HeatAvoider or #HeatShield vs. #MeatShield
* #I'mWithTheBuffoon

## Related Episodes

* 144. The Slice is Right: CEO Region
* DD. The Slice Is Right: Fat Chance Kitchen Semifinals
* 183. **Papa John's**
* 213. Shaquille's
* DD. Puppa Shaq's
* 288. Papa John's 2
* DD. BOWL: Toilet Bowl Region
* 403. Ledo Pizza (Snack or Wack)
* 183. **Papa John's**
* DD. Mac Attack: Eat 16
* DD. Wige Hard
* 341. Hero's Journey: Sub-Optimal: Semi-soft Finals
* 416. Guisados

## Photos (via @doughboyspod)

CheesesticksBuffalo Chicken PoppersDouble Cheeseburger PizzaPepperoni, Sausage, and Six Cheese PizzaSpicy Italian PizzaGarden Fresh PizzaCinnamon Pull Aparts