Papa John’s Founder John Schnatter Says He Didn’t Eat 40 Pizzas In 30 Days, He Just ‘Had’ Them

John Schnatter, the founder and ousted CEO of Papa John’s Pizza, claims that he was misunderstood when he suggested months ago that he had eaten 40 pizzas in 30 days, NBC News reports. Specifically, Schnatter says that he used the verb “had,” which is not the same as “ate.”

Back in November of 2019, as reported at the time by The Inquisitr, Schnatter told Louisville’a WDRB that he “had over 40 pizzas in the last 30 days” and concluded that Papa John’s was “not the same pizza.” Schnatter had been removed from his position within the company that bore his name following news that he allegedly made racist remarks.

At the time of his interview, Schnatter claimed that he had been ousted by a conspiracy involving his former friends and colleagues. And he claimed that ever since he was removed from the company, the quality of the pizza has gone down, and it was the customers, not him, who were hurting.

“The way they’re making the pizza is just not fundamental to what makes a Papa John’s pizza,” he said.

The claim raised eyebrows at the time, considering that 40 pizzas in 30 days amounts to one and a third whole pizzas per day, over the course of a month.

This week, Schnatter sat down for an interview with the H3 Podcast, during which host Ethan Klein asked the businessman, among other things, about the famous claim of eating so much pizza.

Schnatter said that he was misunderstood thanks to the verb he chose to use in that interview.

“Well I didn’t say I had eaten 40 pizzas in 30 days. I said I had 40 pizzas in 30 days,” Schnatter said.

Host Klein wasn’t willing to accept that explanation at face value.

“Hold on, we’re going to split hairs here? When I said ‘I had a pizza,’ that means I ate it,” he said.

Schnatter responded by saying that, in the context, he meant he “had” the pizza in the sense that he inspected it. And by “inspecting” it, he says he ate either the whole pizza or a part of it.

“I’m not eating every pizza. I may be eating parts of pizzas,” he said.

Specifically, Schnatter says that in a week he’ll consume “about eight or nine slices,” rather than seven or more whole pizzas, as he seemed to suggest back in November. By comparison, back when he was running Papa John’s, he says he ate 12 to 15 slices per week.