Papa John's Pizza.
That is, Papa John's's Pizza.
Even in 1991, it was still just a small chain of pizza shops concentrated in the Midwest and South.
But given just a few years, it will unleash amazing vitality.
Since its IPO in 1993, it has rapidly expanded into the third largest pizza giant after Domino's's and Pizza Hut.
It's important to know that by this time, the two giants had already grown into super restaurant chain giants with thousands of stores nationwide.
Domino's's has already established its own nationwide delivery network.
Orders are guaranteed to be delivered within 30 minutes.
This slogan alone made them the top choice for consumers who crave fast food.
Pizza Hut also has its own brand power, with influence covering the globe.
In an environment where the two giants had already devoured the market, Papa John's's managed to carve out its own niche.
Starting from a humble little shop, John Schnatter rose to become a billionaire. What was his secret?
[better ingredients. better pizza.]
Unlike Pizza Hut, Papa John's's is not backed by the Pepsi empire.
Unlike Domino's's, it doesn't have a standardized industrial franchise system or store replication model.
John Schnatter was a true grassroots figure.
In 1984, he spent a huge sum of $1,600 to buy a set of old, second-hand restaurant equipment and put it in the kitchen of his father's small restaurant.
But it is precisely this pursuit of quality and its focus on high-quality products that has allowed it to break out of this fiercely competitive market and become a rising Nova in the world of braised naan bread.
John Schnatter exited Los Angeles International Airport, got into a taxi, and headed towards his destination.
As a future billionaire from a publicly listed company, and as a current unknown small business owner.
John received an invitation he never expected in his life.
The letter was from Lin Lixin, chairman of Gamenova, a global gaming giant.
Why would these people want a pizza vendor like me?
Are you planning to take over the company cafeteria?
That makes sense; these wealthy people definitely prefer fine, high-end pizzas to mass-produced fast-food pizzas.
Imagine if Papa John's's signs were placed on Gamenova Delta, or even inside its headquarters building...
My God!
Although this is unlikely to yield very good profits.
After all, no matter how scary it sounds, it's just a few chain restaurants.
But as long as it's associated with the Gamenova name...
That way, your brand strength will be guaranteed.
It was already noon when the car arrived at its destination.
John stood at the park entrance, and after security personnel quickly verified his identity, he was allowed to enter. During lunchtime, everyone came out of their offices, and the small square was bustling with people.
Ordering food, food delivery, eating...
It's clear that this place really needs a cafeteria.
"Sir, is Activision in that building?"
"Oh, of course, thank you for your help."
Guided by security, John finally arrived at the end of his journey: the Activision temporary conference room.
However, the scene here... was somewhat different from what he had imagined.
Several developers sat around the pizza on the table, occasionally commenting on the toppings.
One person said the salami wasn't symmetrical enough, another said the cheese wasn't evenly distributed.
Another person was intently analyzing the cross-section of the pie, discussing the crust and the baking temperature.
Is this a game company?
Someone who didn't know better might think it was a food processing lab. Knock knock knock
There was a few light knocks on the door behind me.
John turned around abruptly and saw Kitchen standing in the doorway.
"Mr. John, this way."
"Yes, sir, yes."
As soon as he entered the room, his attention was immediately drawn to the bolded title.
Papa's Pizzeria
Papa's Pizzeria.
The name is practically a tribute to his Papa John's's brand.
But before he could fully process this information, his mind was completely shut down by another image.
Lin Lixin and David were discussing something, and as he spoke, he took a bite of his pizza. Judging from the packaging, it was clearly made by a Papa John's's chain store in the area.
"Oh, you've arrived?"
The other person pointed to one of the benches, gesturing for him to sit down.
Although John was still lost in thought, he obediently sat down opposite him.
Compared to this behemoth, their chain of hundreds of pizza shops seemed utterly insignificant.
A guy selling flatbreads really doesn't have the guts to challenge a real big shot.
" Papa John's's cookies are quite good, Mr. John."
Lin Lixin spoke slowly, and said with satisfaction.
They are indeed sticking to their high-quality product strategy.
"I recently went on a business trip to Boston, and surprisingly, there wasn't Papa John's's chain store there."
"Uh... we're considering expanding eastward, but our main operating area is currently in the Midwest."
"Isn't that a shame? All of United States should try your pancakes." "It would be my honor, Mr. Lin."
What does the God of Games usually eat?
Many people have speculated about this.
There's an urban legend that Lin Lixin eats ten best-selling game cartridges and five best-selling game discs with every meal, along with a few records and videotapes.
A slightly more plausible version says that he frequented upscale restaurants every day, eating the finest steaks and foie gras.
Criticizing a fast-food pizza really shattered John's worldview.
"Okay, back to the serious topic. I'm planning to invest in Papa John's's, um... or rather, to partner with them. Are you interested?"
"You mean... company cafeteria contracting? Good heavens, sir, I mean... absolutely! In fact, I can fully fund this project and open a free pizza restaurant for Gamenova!"
John agreed almost without thinking.
What's the point of saying anything more? If this opportunity slips away in front of him, he'll have nowhere to turn to cry.
Even if the other party invests in it, or even if I do it completely for free, I still have to do it!
Because this is the most awesome GG effect in the world. Just imagine, you can hire a few reporters and have them publish footage of the Gamenova developers eating Papa John's's pizza.
What a sensational effect that would be!
These awesome big shots usually eat their own pizzas to fill their stomachs.
It could even be taken to an even more exaggerated level.
Compile some interesting garage startup stories and package them as a backdrop for a success story.
For example, when Sage Lin played games with Sam in his early years in a rented room, they usually ate Papa John's's pizza.
God!
Just imagining it made John's body tremble uncontrollably.
This will be the most extravagant cross-industry marketing case in the world.
For those programmers and designers holed up in their offices, besides coffee, their favorite thing is probably pizza.
If they really succeed, I can't imagine how high Papa John's's could go in the future.
"What? Oh, that's actually a great idea. I'm planning to move soon, so I'll definitely contact you then." Lin Lixin was slightly taken aback, but then he came to his senses.
It seems the other party doesn't understand what they're trying to do this time.
"I'm not talking about taking over the cafeteria, John. I'm talking about a bigger collaboration. We're planning, or rather, we're developing, a simulation game about running a pizzeria."
Okay, John, things are different now.
He thought to himself, then swallowed hard, tried to sit up straight, and adopted a posture of seeking guidance.
From this moment on, everything has exceeded his imagination and has long been out of his control.
Domino's's and Pizza Hut are both good, but I think Papa John's's suits my needs better.
Domino's's fast food naturally targets office workers as its main consumer group.
Pizza Hut, on the other hand, caters to the needs of families.
So... what consumer group should Papa John's?
Young people! Even better, unlike the two companies with their intricate chains of interests and capital control, Papa John's's resume is shockingly clean.
Apart from this grassroots individual, there is virtually no trace of foreign capital involvement.
This gives Gamenova a lot of room for maneuver.
"We won't interfere with your brand philosophy or daily operations, much less dictate your formula. You can trust me on that; I've always been a very lazy investor."
Firstly, making arbitrary changes could backfire and kill Papa John's's, just like Sega was blown up by the aftershocks of the battle between the gods.
Secondly, he genuinely had no interest in getting involved in the catering industry.
The reason for collaborating with real-world pizza companies is actually quite simple.
Just like John hoped to become famous through the GG effect of Gamenova.
Gamenova also needs a real pizzeria to endorse it.
David and Kitchen, who were present, both understood this.
Especially after they understood what Lin Lixin was planning to do this time, their understanding of this point became even deeper.
The right to define! Lin Lixin wants to firmly imprint the name "papa's" in everyone's mind.
Whenever I see pizza, especially a delicious pizza, the name Papa's pops into my head.
Seeing Papa John's's will also remind you of Papa's.
The Papa's Series will become synonymous with pizza.
Just like nmail, which expanded rapidly through its free strategy and became the preferred email service for many.
Is this a silent battle for the right to define, or a proxy war?
Papa John's's is Gamenova's agent and vanguard in the pizza industry.
"Your formula is excellent, your positioning is clear, and most importantly, there's no foreign investment involved; everything is under your control."
Lin Lixin continued,
"However, the shortcomings are equally obvious: a lack of cash flow support, insufficient expansion capabilities, few stores, weak marketing and promotion, very weak brand power, and a lack of mature user awareness."
Papa John's's strengths are what Gamenova needs.
And Papa John's's weakness... is precisely what Gamenova excels at. "This will be a two-way collaboration and synergy, John, and a cross-industry marketing case that will go down in history."