In October 1984, John Schnatter opened the first Papa John's restaurant in Jeffersonville, Indiana, after realizing his talent for making delicious pizza. The restaurant's success was attributed to Schnatter's commitment to using fresh ingredients and quality cheese.

In 1993, Papa John's went public on the NASDAQ stock exchange, raising $25 million for further expansion. This move marked a significant milestone in the company's growth and allowed for more rapid expansion both domestically and internationally.

In 1997, Pizza Hut filed a lawsuit against Papa John's over misleading advertisements that compared the ingredients of both pizza chains. The legal battle centered on whether Papa John's claims of 'fresher ingredients' constituted factual statements. The initial ruling favored Pizza Hut, but was later overturned on appeal.

Papa John's began its operations in the United Kingdom in 1999. By July 2015, the company had 300 shops in the UK. In 2023, Papa John's faced a setback when its plans to open a new store in Newcastle were rejected, marking a unique planning appeal rejection in the UK.

In January 2002, Papa John's became the first national pizza chain to offer online ordering to all its U.S. customers. This move set a trend for other pizza chains to follow suit and add online ordering to their services.

In 2003, Papa John's ventured into South Korea by opening its first branch in Apgujeong-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul. Despite starting late compared to other pizza chains in Korea, Papa John's has grown to have 239 stores in the country by the end of 2022.

In November 2006, Papa John's signed with ESPN Regional Television to become the title sponsor of the annual PapaJohns.com Bowl, a college post-season football bowl game in Birmingham, Alabama.

Papa John's received attention in May 2008 when a Washington, D.C. franchise distributed T-shirts making fun of Cleveland Cavaliers star player LeBron James at a playoff game against the Washington Wizards.

On May 22, 2010, the first notable Bitcoin retail transaction for physical goods occurred when 10,000 mined BTC were exchanged for two pizzas delivered from a Papa John's in Jacksonville, Florida, leading to the celebration of 'Bitcoin Pizza Day' by some cryptocurrency users.

On January 6, 2012, an employee at a Papa John's restaurant in New York City typed the phrase 'lady chinky eyes' on a receipt issued to an Asian American customer, sparking media attention. The employee was fired, and the company issued a formal apology for the offensive incident.

In August 7, 2012, Papa John's Pizza founder John Schnatter opposed Obamacare, claiming that offering health insurance to employees would increase pizza prices. He expressed intentions to pass on the costs to consumers to protect shareholders' interests.

In July 2013, Papa John's announced it had become the Official Pizza Partner of The Football League in the UK.

On August 7, 2015, Papa John's settled for $12.6 million with delivery drivers across six states who claimed the restaurant was not reimbursing their mileage expenses properly. The drivers were receiving a flat bonus per delivery regardless of distance.

In July 2016, Panera Bread filed a lawsuit accusing Papa John's of stealing digital trade secrets by hiring a former Panera executive. A Federal judge issued a restraining order against the executive, and although the lawsuit was dropped in December 2016, the specific details were not disclosed.

On January 30, 2017, John Schnatter, who supported the Trump campaign, criticized business regulations in his autobiography, comparing America to Germany in 1867. His remarks stirred controversy and raised eyebrows.

On November 1, 2017, Papa John attributed slumping pizza sales to the NFL national anthem protests led by Colin Kaepernick. His comments were widely ridiculed and led to the company distancing itself from hate groups.

On December 21, 2017, John Schnatter resigned as CEO of Papa John's Pizza amidst the fallout from the NFL controversy. The company faced challenges in managing the aftermath of his statements.

On January 1, 2018, John Schnatter stepped down as CEO of Papa John's Pizza, handing over the position to company President Steve Ritchie while remaining chairman.

On July 11, 2018, reports emerged that Papa John's founder, Schnatter, had used a racial epithet in a conference call, leading to severe backlash. Following the incident, Schnatter resigned as chairman of the company's board of directors, and the company took steps to distance itself from his image.

On July 12, 2018, creative agencies like Laundry Service and Publicis's Fallon resigned from Papa John's account following the controversy surrounding John Schnatter's use of racial slurs.

On July 17, 2018, John Schnatter backtracked his resignation as chairman of Papa John's, claiming he was provoked to use the N-word and criticizing the board's actions.

On July 26, 2018, John Schnatter filed a lawsuit against Papa John's Pizza to gain access to the company's internal records after being fired. He criticized the company's actions as unfair and aimed at severing his ties with the company he founded.

On August 1, 2018, Papa John's brought aboard Endeavour Global Marketing to guide the company through the crisis and develop a strategy for redemption after the controversy.

On February 4, 2019, it was announced that Starboard Value would invest $200 million in Papa John's Pizza. This investment was part of a strategy to revitalize the company, with Starboard Value's CEO becoming the new chairman.

On March 5, 2019, Papa John's reached a settlement with John Schnatter, leading to his resignation from the board and the withdrawal of lawsuits. The company also made changes to its poison pill plan and communication restrictions.

On August 27, 2019, Papa John's announced that Robert M. Lynch would be the new CEO, replacing Steve Ritchie.

On December 5, 2019, John Schnatter's wife of over 30 years filed for divorce, revealing that the couple had been separated since April of the same year.

In September 2020, Papa John's revealed plans to establish a new headquarters in the Atlanta metropolitan area.

In November 2021, Papa John's announced a rebranding of its logo and store locations by removing the apostrophe and simplifying the design.

In March 2022, Papa John's halted its business operations in Russia in response to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Papa John's journey from a small pizza shop to a global chain is explored.