Papa John's board of director has resorted to completely removing John Schnatter's face form brand imaging. The Associated Press reports that as early as Friday morning, the company has begun removing media containing a cartoon rendering of Schnatter in a kitchen apron, now synonymous with the brand.
Earlier in the week, Schnatter was caught using the N-Word during a conference call with a PR firm whose main objective was to clean up Papa John's image from falling into disrepair. Before stepping down as the Papa John's CEO, Schnatter decided to lend his support to the Alt-Right in defiance of NFL players choosing to kneel during the National Anthem, a political choice of little consequence to company shares. Schnatter's use of the N-Word during business hours only hastened their decision.
Schnatter’s face has been a central element in the brand's success since the Pizza chain's inception. His face has been the first thing you see when you open your box, and a constant fixture in TV advertisements. Regardless of how far the chairmen and women decide to publicly distance themselves from Schnatter, the Papa John founder will retain his 30 percent shareholder stock, the largest of any sort. His days as the public face of the game he built from the ground, are seemingly over.