Papa John's condemns new customers: White supremacists

Thomas Novelly
Courier Journal
In this file photo, John Schnatter, founder of Papa John's Pizza, is seen making a pizza in the kitchen of his company's headquarters. Jan. 26, 2016.

Papa John's pizza has a new customer, the alt-right. 

In the days following a rant by Papa John's CEO and Louisville resident John Schnatter where he blamed the NFL and anthem protests for low sales, a white-supremacist publication claimed it as their official pizza. 

In a blog post at the Daily Stormer, a photo of pizza with pepperonis arranged in a swastika has a caption that reads "Papa John: Official pizza of the alt-right?" 

"This might be the first time ever in modern history that a major institution is going to be completely destroyed explicitly because of public outrage over their anti-White agenda," Daily Stormer writer Adrian Sol said, describing the backlash against the NFL.

Peter Collins, the senior director of public relations at Papa John’s, said the company was taken off-guard by the endorsement. 

“We condemn racism in all forms and any and all hate groups that support it," Collins told Courier Journal. "We do not want these individuals or groups to buy our pizza.”

Background:Papa John slams NFL, blames national anthem protests for declining pizza sales

Pizza Wars?:Pizza Hut rebukes Papa John's, says protests in the NFL haven't hurt sales

Column:Here's the real reason Papa John's sales are down: The pizza tastes like 'salty upholstery'

Papa John's released third-quarter sales figures last week that show diminished rates of growth at established North American locations: 1.5 percent this year as opposed to a projected 2- to 4-percent increase. In 2016, North American sales increased 5.5 percent during the same period. 

Papa John's NASDAQ shares fell 8.5 percent last week and are down 23 percent on the year as the company lowers its growth expectations. 

The Daily Stormer endorsement follows a flood of criticism from other pizza companies as well. 

Pizza Hut has said that protests in the NFL have not hurt sales, according to Business Insider. 

"We're not seeing impact on any of that on our business," Greg Creed, CEO of Pizza Hut's parent company Yum Brands, said in a call with investors on Thursday. Yum Brands is headquartered in Louisville. 

DiGiorno Pizza's Twitter account also took aim at the Louisville based pizza company.

"Better Pizza. Better Sales," Digornios tweeted. 

Reach Reporter Thomas Novelly at 502-582-4465 or by email at tnovelly@courier-journal.com. Follow him on Twitter @TomNovelly.