Papa John’s CEO says its recipe hasn’t changed despite former CEO’s claims

Papa John’s CEO Rob Lynch has responded to accusations by founder and former CEO John Schnatter, telling CNBC in an interview that the recipe for the pizza has not changed.

“No, actually, nothing has changed.” Lynch said.

“I’ve never been a part of a system that takes more pride in what goes into the food that we’re making and how we’re making it. We feel great about the food that we’re putting out there. We haven’t made any changes to the way we make it or to what goes into our products.”

In an interview with CNN affiliate WDRB, Schnatter accused the company of changing the way the pizzas are made.

“I’ve had over 40 pizzas in the last 30 days, and it’s not the same pizza,” Schnatter told WDRB.

“It’s not the same product. It just doesn’t taste as good. The way they’re making the pizza is just not fundamental to what makes a Papa John’s pizza.”

Schnatter also criticized Lynch, saying, “He has never been a CEO. He has no pizza experience. He has never been in the pizza category. He doesn’t really know quality. Probably most important, he doesn’t have a passion for people.”

Lynch said that Schnatter is “entitled to his opinion” and that he “can’t comment on how he feels or what he thinks.”