Papa John's is one of many great pizza chains you can order from at almost any time, but one thing which separates Papa John's from the rest is a surprise that comes every time you order a pizza: a pepperoncini pepper.
The Reason Why
The story of the pepper comes from the owner of Papa John's, John Schnatter. According to Sean Muldoon, Papa John's Chief Ingredient Officer (yes, that's his real job), who spoke with Thrillist a while back, Schnatter was a dishwasher in his father's pub in Jefferson, Indiana. At the pub, they would always put a pepperoncini pepper inside the pizza, so ever since, Schnatter has made sure there was a pepper in his pizza boxes, too.
Of course, what you do with the pepperoncini is up to you. You can eat it plain, dip it in the garlic sauce, dare your friend to eat it, throw it away, or as Muldoon suggested, bite off the top and spread the juices around the pie (creative).
How Many Does PJ's Go Through?
People love these peppers. "We briefly tested taking it out of our pizza boxes, and you wouldn’t believe the uproar that it caused, it was like the world was ending," Muldoon said.
Papa John's uses peppers exclusively from Turkey; it's estimated that about 25 percent of Turkey's pepperoncini peppers goes to Papa John's. The chain was even the cause of a pepperoncini shortage in the '90s!
In Conclusion
Your questions have finally been answered. Even though the reason behind why a pepper is included with every pizza isn't wild or crazy, it's still interesting. There is no question that Papa John's offers great pizza, but now you know that there is history and a little extra love in every pizza that you order from there.