The Papa John's restaurant franchise was founded in 1983 when "Papa" John Schnatter knocked out a broom closet in the back of his father's tavern, Mick's Lounge, in Jeffersonville, Indiana. He then sold his 1971 Z28 Camaro to purchase $1,600 worth of used pizza equipment and began selling pizzas to the tavern's customers out of the converted closet. His pizzas proved so popular that one year later he was able to move into an adjoining space. In 2009, Schnatter got the Camaro back by contacting the family that he sold the car to in 1983.

Today, the company is the fourth largest take-out and pizza delivery restaurant chain in the United States[6] with headquarters in Jeffersontown, Kentucky, near Louisville. Its slogan is "Better Ingredients. Better Pizza. Papa John's."

Internationally, there are over 4,000 Papa John's establishments, including over 3,200 in the U.S. and the remainder spread among 33 other countries. In September 2012, Papa John's Pizza opened its 4,000th restaurant, in New Hyde Park, New York. The company celebrated the event by giving away 4,000 free pizzas to customers throughout New York City.