Papa John’s International Inc., one of the largest international pizza chains, has recently been included into the list of the top 50 minority-friendly franchises. This selection was made by the organization called NMFI, or National Minority Franchising Initiative, the goal of which is to make U.S. franchise opportunities more accessible for minorities. The nomination was made on the basis of a number of parameters, including franchisee satisfaction, initial training, ongoing support, existing minority makeup, and launching of special programs for minority franchisees.

It is estimated that minorities make up about 20% of the Papa John’s franchisee sector, and this number is even going to increase soon. Within the entire Papa John’s franchise chain system, a stronger emphasis is now being placed on reflecting of the changing composition of customers and, therefore, on giving priorities to minority franchisees.

The Papa John’s restaurant business was established in 1985, when “Papa”, John Schnatter from Jeffersonville, Indiana, decided to turn a local tavern into a restaurant serving and delivering superior pizza to the customer’s door. Now, the international Papa John’s chain is the third largest pizza franchise in the world (after YUM! Brands’ Pizza Hut brand and Domino’s), which operates in 580 places worldwide and 30 locations outside of the USA. With more than 3,000 fast-food restaurants, Papa John’s remains committed to producing the highest-quality, traditional pizza made from natural ingredients. In addition to pizza, it provides a variety of pies, such as All the Meats or The Works, and different pizza toppings, with the products being either delivered directly to customers, or available for carry-out.

Now, being called a minority-friendly franchise, Papa John’s should expect even bigger national and world-wide success, especially among potential franchisees and customers belonging to a previously under-represented market.