LOUISVILLE, Ky.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Papa John’s International, Inc. (NASDAQ:PZZA), celebrated the arrival of its first restaurant in Kingersheim, France with a grand opening ceremony on May 23rd. Master Franchisee Hassan Bouanaka invited company representatives and local citizens to celebrate the first of many Papa John’s restaurants coming to the area.
“I have experienced the quality of Papa John’s hand-tossed fresh, never-frozen dough, fresh-packed tomatoes and quality cheese made with mozzarella. I am excited to bring Papa John’s pizza to France,” said Hassan Bouanaka. “Papa John’s will surely elevate the pizza experience for the French.”
The 34 year-old entrepreneur, Hassan Bouanaka has almost 18 years of experience in the pizza industry. He started this journey as a pizza delivery driver at age 16. Hassan continued to work hard, eventually owning and managing seven points of sales in North France. With bigger goals in mind, he decided to sell his restaurants and pursue a career as a Papa John’s Master Franchisee.
“Papa John’s was built on quality, which is something that everyone understands and appreciates. People know when they’re getting quality ingredients and that is why Papa John’s pizza continues to expand into new countries and territories,” said Tim O’Hern, Senior Vice President & Chief Development Officer. “In addition to bringing quality pizza to France, we are excited to bring additional career opportunities to young people in the area.”
With almost one in four citizens under 25 looking for a job in France, the expansion of Papa John’s restaurants in this region has potential to make a positive impact. Hassan has future plans to open over 30 stores stretching from Besanҫon to Lille over the next decade. These stores have the potential to create hundreds of jobs for young people in the Northeast quarter of France.
The entry into France continues Papa John’s expansion in Europe. Papa John’s International has over 300 restaurants in the U.K. In addition, Papa John’s recently opened its first restaurant in Madrid, Spain on May 9, 2016 and will be opening in the Netherlands in July 2016. Papa John’s International is currently looking for potential franchisees in other areas of France, as well as Poland, Czech Republic and Belgium.
About Papa John’s
Headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky, Papa John's International, Inc. (NASDAQ: PZZA) is the world's third-largest pizza delivery company. For 14 of the past 16 years, consumers have rated Papa John's No. 1 in customer satisfaction among all national pizza chains in the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI). Papa John's is the Official Pizza Sponsor of the National Football League and the Official Pizza of Major League Baseball. For more information about the company or to order pizza online, visit Papa John's at www.papajohns.com. Also visit us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/PapaJohns, Twitter at http://twitter.com/PapaJohns, YouTube at www.youtube.com/user/papajohns, Instagram at instagram.com/papajohns, Pinterest at www.pinterest.com/papajohnspizza, and Vine at vine.co/papajohns. Looking to be a part of something Better? Learn more about franchising with Papa John's at www.papajohns.com/franchise.
