THOUSANDS OF PIZZA LOVERS ACROSS THE COUNTRY VYING FOR A SLICE OF THE PAPA JOHN’S PIE IN RECIPE CHALLENGE

Three Weeks Remaining in “Papa’s Specialty Pizza Challenge,”
Winner to Receive Portion of Sales Dollars for Best Combination
of Papa John’s “Better Ingredients”

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (May 25, 2010) – More than 7,000 pizza lovers spanning all 50 states think they have what it takes to create Papa John’s next menu item – and win a portion of the sales dollars in return. But there’s only room for one new pizza on Papa John’s menu. Which recipe will come out on top?

Last month, Papa John's International, Inc. (NASDAQ: PZZA) asked its loyal customers to share their ideas for the next great specialty pizza on Facebook as part of the company’s first ever “Papa’s Specialty Pizza Challenge.” Thousands of recipes later – and with three weeks still remaining in the contest – Papa John’s finds itself sifting through a number of top contenders.

Recipes have been inspired by far-away places. There’s “The Big Texan” from a customer in Cambellsburg, Ind., “The Kentuckian” from a Papa John’s fan in Las Vegas, Nev., “Mediterranean Medley” in Dayton, Ohio, plus hundreds of interpretations of what constitutes a “Hawaiian” pizza.

Pizzas have also been named in honor of loved ones, like “Dad’s Ham & Cheese” in Lexington, Ky., “Mom’s Not Cooking Tonight!” in Overland Park, Ks., and “Grammy’s Favorite” in Valparaiso, Ind.

And then there’s pure creativity, such as “The New PB&J” from Augusta, Ga., “Kabobbin’ Kick” in Cuddy, Pa., and “The TNT! (Thin ‘n’ Tangy!) from Escalon, Calif.

“Every day there’s a new recipe, story, or name that catches our eye as customers have come out in droves to share their favorite combinations of Papa John’s ‘Better Ingredients,’” said Papa John’s Chief Marketing Officer Andrew Varga. “The passion for our quality pizza and fresh ingredients is evident in every entry.”

Through June 14, participants can enter “Papa’s Specialty Pizza Challenge” at www.facebook.com/papajohns

, where they will be asked to create and name their very own specialty pie on Papa John’s fresh, never frozen original dough with sauce, cheese and a combination of up to seven Papa John’s better ingredients, including:

Fresh-Packed Tomato Sauce: Made from vine-ripened tomatoes, which go from the vine to the can in an average of six hours

Cheese made from 100 percent mozzarella

100 percent Real Meats: Bacon, Beef, Ham, Grilled Chicken, Pepperoni, Sausage, Spicy Italian Sausage

Fresh-Cut Vegetables: Onions, Green Peppers and Roma Tomatoes

Other high-quality ingredients: Including baby portabella mushrooms from Greece and black olives grown in the rich soils of southern Spain

But Papa’s Specialty Pizza Challenge isn’t just about recipes. Participants must also share in 250 words or less what makes their pizza so special for a chance to win. Judges will take the pizza creation, the pizza name and the story into consideration when completing their score sheets.

All entries are being featured in a gallery on Papa John’s Facebook page, from which “Papa” John Schnatter himself and his team of experts will choose ten semi-finalists. Those ten recipes will then be tested and tasted by Schnatter, a secret celebrity judge and other judges at company headquarters in Louisville, Ky. Schnatter, who personally developed many of the specialty pizza combinations currently offered by Papa John’s, and the other judges will trim the choices to the three best recipes, which will be showcased temporarily on Papa John’s menu (August 2 – August 29), with the ultimate winner being the highest-selling pizza!

And because the stakes – a portion of sales dollars from the winner’s recipe – are so high Papa John’s is offering the top three finalists a marketing budget of $1,000 to help drive sales of their respective pizzas.

The grand prize winner will also receive free Papa John’s pizza for life as well as a chance to appear in a “Papa’s in the House” TV commercial. For more details on “Papa’s Specialty Pizza Challenge,” including official contest rules, visit www.facebook.com/papajohns.

Headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky, Papa John's International, Inc. (NASDAQ: PZZA) is the world's third largest pizza company. For nine of the last 10 years, consumers have rated Papa John's No. 1 in customer satisfaction among all national pizza chains in the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI). Papa John's also was honored by Restaurants & Institutions Magazine (R&I) with the 2009 Gold Award for Consumers’ Choice in Chains in the pizza segment and was named 2007 Pizza Today Chain of the Year. For more information about the company or to order pizza online, visit Papa John's at www.papajohns.com.

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