It Ain't Rocket Science, but...

For those who are not familiar with the operations of a Papa John's Pizza store, a familiar thought might be that "it ain't rocket science." I mean, how difficult can it be to make and deliver pizza?

Well, if you would visit one of our stores on a Friday night (especially if it is raining), then you just might be surprised at how complex it really is. During our busiest hours it is not uncommon for us to make and deliver well over 100 pizzas an hour!. Think about it for a second. We not only are making a custom, made-to-order product, but we are delivering that product to our customer's home almost every time within 20 to 40 minutes. Through heavy traffic and bad weather, on holidays and during the Super Bowl, for large 400 pizza lunches and even one pizza at late night, our team is ready to serve.

Compare our performance to some others. Dell Computer makes a great customized computer and that is quite a feat. However, it takes a couple of weeks to see that product. When you call for a taxi ride, it is not uncommon to wait 20 to 30 minutes.....just for a ride. FedEx gets a lot of attention for a next day delivery and they don't make a thing...wow. And finally, at some of our fast food competitors people are sometimes happy just to see them get a drive-thru order right the first time. At Papa John's Pizza, however, we not only make a perfect pizza, but we bring it right to their doorstep.

Of course, the key to our success is having a group of dedicated people who are committed to working as a team. After a period of time, just about everyone at the store can do all of the jobs needed to make a high quality, great tasting pizza. I am always amazed at the communication that goes on between team members as well. Working on a busy night, it's like being on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange.....controlled chaos, with a lot of chatter. Whatever it takes to stay ahead of the rush. And leading the charge is our store managers. Probably no pizza company in the country has the experience and tenacity of our management team. They are the fuel in our rockets. I know that our ability to out execute our competitors on a day-to-day basis sets us apart.

I appreciate the dedication and commitment to excellence that our entire team displays. They are a bunch of smart people. It is the reason we are the leaders in our markets. It may not be rocket science, but you know, I don't think I want to hire any scientists right now. I don't think their rockets could get it to our customers any quicker, and certainly not better.

by Doug Harris, President/CEO
Lan-Switch Enterprises, Inc.