LOUISVILLE, Ky. - PizzaMarketplace.com, the leading provider of pizza industry news, has chosen Papa John's Pizza as its 2006 Chain of the Year.  "After an in-depth examination of the top-performing pizza chains in the United States, we believe Papa John's is this year's all-around top chain," said Steve Coomes, senior editor of PizzaMarketplace.com. "Not only has Papa John's put together two years of solid sales growth, it has done so following one of the most dramatic turnarounds we've seen in recent years.  In our opinion, Papa John's has reclaimed its standing as a trendsetting industry powerhouse."

In choosing its 2006 Chain of the Year, PizzaMarketplace.com evaluated multiple criteria, including:

• Comparable-store sales trends.
• Creative marketing/advertising initiatives.
• Use of technological advances to better the business.
• New product initiatives.
• Growth in revenue, profit and unit count.
• Acknowledgement by industry peers or review groups (such as awards or rankings)

From 2004 through late 2006, Papa John's strung together 22 consecutive months of comparable-store sales increases, and for seven straight years it has ranked highest among all U.S. quick-service restaurant chains in the American Consumer Satisfaction Index (ACSI). The chain also remains the industry leader in online ordering and marketing, tools it believes helped make its Papa's Perfect Pan Pizza the most successful new product rollout in its history.

"I'm extremely proud of our franchisees, corporate operators, and corporate team members for this significant recognition," said John Schnatter, Papa John's founder. "Our system has worked very hard over the past several years to deliver on our 'Better Ingredients, Better Pizza' brand promise.  It's gratifying to be recognized for our efforts."

Nigel Travis, Papa John's president and chief executive officer, added, "While we've steadfastly maintained a sharp focus on product quality and customer service, we've made significant gains in several other areas of our operations such as innovative marketing and advertising, and online ordering, that has enabled Papa John's to become a leader in many facets of the industry. This recognition validates the hard work and dedication of more than 75,000 team members within the Papa John's family."

PizzaMarketplace.com presented the award to Papa John's on Friday, December 8, 11:30 a.m., at the chain's Louisville corporate headquarters at 2002 Papa Johns Blvd.