---
title: "Report: Schnatter Contacting Private Equity Firms in Attempt to Buy Back Papa John’s"
url: https://burnaze.com/article/443fd621-e266-42cd-aa12-c40ab00f1743
source: "1851 Franchise"
original_url: https://1851franchise.com/report-schnatter-contacting-private-equity-firms-in-attempt-to-buy-back-papa-johns-2707979
category: "Pizza"
industry: "Restaurants"
segment: "Pizza"
topics: ["Finance & M&A"]
published: 2018-09-26T20:15:01.000Z
modified: 2026-11-01T04:08:37.179Z
image: https://newimage.1851franchise.com/cdn-cgi/image/quality=85,format=webp,width=1280,height=720/story/featureImage/8c8db0cc0a40485982445dc1824e7e4c9465.jpg
---

# Report: Schnatter Contacting Private Equity Firms in Attempt to Buy Back Papa John’s

**TL;DR:** Papa John's founder John Schnatter is reportedly attempting to buy back the company through private equity firms. Schnatter's representatives denied the report, but he remains the largest shareholder with a 30% ownership stake.

*originally published in 1851 Franchise on 2018-09-26. [Read the original](https://1851franchise.com/report-schnatter-contacting-private-equity-firms-in-attempt-to-buy-back-papa-johns-2707979).*

## Story

After a brief respite from the news cycle, Papa John’s founder John Schnatter is back. According to a report by CNBC, Schnatter is actively reaching out to private equity firms to orchestrate a buyout of Papa John’s. Schnatter’s representatives denied the report.

According to the report, several of the firms Schnatter has contacted have rejected his proposal, citing concerns over the reputation risk of partnering with him. Schnatter resigned as chairman earlier this year after it was learned he used a racial slur on a conference call, kicking off an increasingly contentious falling out over the last few months. Schnatter still remains Papa John’s largest shareholder with a roughly 30 percent ownership stake in the brand.

Sources did tell CNBC, however, that Papa John’s is actively talking with potential buyers, but cautioning that the process is still in the early stages and may not ultimately result in a sale.

## Entities

- 1851 Franchise (publication)
- Restaurants (sector)
- private equity (topic)
- Papa Johns (company)
- buyout attempt (topic)
- reputation risk (topic)

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Originally reported by 1851 Franchise (https://1851franchise.com/report-schnatter-contacting-private-equity-firms-in-attempt-to-buy-back-papa-johns-2707979). Summarized by Burnaze (https://burnaze.com/article/443fd621-e266-42cd-aa12-c40ab00f1743).