---
title: "Papa John’s CDO Resigns"
url: https://burnaze.com/article/a4be266d-06f5-4b1e-9b5f-8a0b66359483
source: "1851 Franchise"
original_url: https://1851franchise.com/papa-johns-cdo-resigns-2707780
category: "Restaurants"
industry: "Restaurants"
published: 2018-09-07T16:11:01.000Z
modified: 2026-11-01T04:08:58.172Z
image: https://newimage.1851franchise.com/cdn-cgi/image/quality=85,format=webp,width=1280,height=720/story/featureImage/5ac81d5b6d4250b67fe20152a746a47c4986.jpg
---

# Papa John’s CDO Resigns

**TL;DR:** Papa John's chief development officer Timothy C. O'Hern has resigned, with no reason given for his departure. O'Hern will continue to own and operate his nine U.S. Papa John's locations as a franchisee.

*originally published in 1851 Franchise on 2018-09-07. [Read the original](https://1851franchise.com/papa-johns-cdo-resigns-2707780).*

## Story

Timothy C. O’Hern has resigned as president of international and chief development officer for Papa John’s, according to an article on QSR Magazine. O’Hern was hired by the pizza chain in 1995. His resignation is effective immediately.

Neither O’Hern nor Papa John’s has offered a reason for the departure, but *QSR* points to a recent Forbes article that describes O’Hern as a close friend of John Schnatter, the ousted founder and former CEO of Papa John’s who is now engaged in a public battle with the franchise. More damning, the *Forbes* article cites O’Hern as a central figure in the company’s toxic culture. A former senior executive said O’Hern was asked to leave Papa John’s in the mid-2000s after accusations that he had mistreated employees, a claim O’Hern denies.

O’Hearn has been a Papa John’s franchisee since 1993 and says he will continue to own and operate his nine U.S. Papa John’s locations.

## Entities

- 1851 Franchise (publication)
- Restaurants (sector)
- QSR Magazine (publication)
- Papa Johns (company)
- Forbes (company)
- company culture (topic)
- franchisee operations (topic)
- executive resignation (topic)

---
Originally reported by 1851 Franchise (https://1851franchise.com/papa-johns-cdo-resigns-2707780). Summarized by Burnaze (https://burnaze.com/article/a4be266d-06f5-4b1e-9b5f-8a0b66359483).