Papa John's, Applebee's And Others Pay Huge Price For Anti-Obamacare Politicking

[Playinghardball]

It turns out that being a good corporate citizen is as important to selling pizzas as the thinness of the crust or the quality of the cheese.

If you don’t believe it, just ask Papa John CEO, John Schnatter.

As covered—and criticized—in this column in great detail, Mr. Schnatter decided to mix his politics with his pepperoni when suggesting that he would be cutting the work hours for Papa John employees in order to bring them below the 30 hour per week threshold that would require Schnatter to provide his employees with healthcare benefits.

It turns out, the pizza eating public did not approve.

Indeed, so serious was the reaction that Schnatter was forced to publish an op-ed piece where he sought to convince us that he never really intended to cut back worker hours but had simply been speculating on what he might do in response to the legislation.

According to YouGov BrandIndex, a leading marketing survey that measures brand perception in the marketplace (called “Buzz”), Papa John’s had good reason for concern as the pizza chain’s brand identity has plummeted from a high of 32 on election day, to a remarkably low score of 4 among adults who have eaten at causal dining restaurants during the past month.

Ouch.

Papa John is not alone in his anti-Obamacare misery.

Fast food server, Applebee’s, possessed a healthy Buzz score of 35 before Zane Terkel, CEO of one of the company’s largest franchisees, appeared on television to complain about the law and to announce that he would not be building more restaurants or hiring any more workers in response to his objections to Obamacare.

Applebee’s “pre-Terkel” Buzz score of 35 now sits at a pathetic 5.

I don’t imagine Mr. Terkel will be getting many Christmas cards this year from other Applebee’s franchise owners.

While these corporate complainers have sought to explain away the hit they are experiencing at the hands of the public’s perception, one such company is facing the music straight on. Darden Restaurants, Inc.— owner of Olive Garden, Red Lobster and LongHorn Steakhouse—has lowered its profit projections for the quarter ending November 25th, acknowledging that its bad numbers are the result of poorly performing promotions, Superstorm Sandy and…wait for it…the poor publicity it engendered by its decision to test out a plan to cut back on healthcare costs by putting more workers on part-time schedules.

Check out these rather epic declines:



Hopefully, other businesses seeking to avoid their responsibilities under the healthcare law—such as Walmart who intends to cut back employee hours in the effort to push workers onto Medicaid rolls rather than take responsibility for their employees’ health care—will get the message.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/rickungar/2012/12/04/papa-johns-applebees-and-others-pay-huge-price-for-anti-obamacare-politicking/

[SoCalDem]

1. I would eat twigs & sawdust before I would go to those places

Those smug bastards think ALL their customers think just as they do..

WRONG-O

[displacedtexan]

14. I just adore you!

And I always have!

That was a magnificent response to that news story!

[roguevalley]

15. and that is why you are my hero, SoCalDem. Doing what you believe is American.

[n2doc]

22. P's pizza tastes like sawdust

Just horrible, cardboard crust, tasteless cheese-like product and a smear of some sauce, plus crap toppings.

[noamnety]

32. We got one free in the superbowl heads or tails deal

omfg, it was the worst pizza we ever had - I was actually shocked at how dreadful it was. Their promo needs to be something that doesn't attempt to suck in new customers by letting them actually taste the product.

[East Coast Pirate]

76. Both times I have eaten there it made me sick.

Literally.

[Soundman]

87. Same here!

Not a ringing endorsement eh?

[East Coast Pirate]

99. Probably swimming in preservatives.

Yuck. Ghastly, horrible tasting crap. Why anyone would order pizza from Papa John's or Domino's is beyond me.

[jmowreader]

110. You could live in the town I live in...

There are three locally-owned places that make pizzas.

One is Capone's. They were on Diners, Drive-ins and Dives once, which should serve as a warning. People go to Capone's to drink beer and watch sports, not to eat pizza and there's a reason for that.

The second is this little hole-in-the-wall place named Papa Caldo's that's worse. When you get a pizza that's covered in cheddar and Monterey Jack, you know you're screwn.

The third is Fire Artisan Pizza. Super yuppie joint, kinda like you'd find in California but not nearly as good quality of food. They serve wood-fired pizza, which means it's supposed to be black on the bottom with an overly-sweet sauce. Go to Yelp, skip all the "reviews" that were written by the staff, and find the one where the guy says he ordered three pies and got one that was "burned well," one that was "burned medium" and one that was half-raw. Some people like "artisan" pizza; I'm not one of them.

In Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, chain pizza is the only edible pizza.

[East Coast Pirate]

111. I hope you have a Pizza Hut.

I like their pizza.

Don't hate me but I live in the NYC area. Infinite pizza choices.

[jmowreader]

117. We have two Pizza Huts

[CTyankee]

123. and lucky, lucky me in New Haven, CT...

[East Coast Pirate]

124. Good pizza there?

I've only stopped for lunch on my way to Cape Cod.

[CTyankee]

125. New Haven pizza (called apizza in New Haven) is legendary.

Sally's and Pepe's, both in Wooster Square, are the most famous but Modern Pizza is better, IMO. Also, if you are traveling up to the Cape, State Street is an easier access point off of I95 than going all the way to Wooster Square. Their white clam pie is wonderful, as is their sliced tomato in the summer, simple but delicious.

I live on the other side of New Haven where we have Dayton St. Apizza (pronounced Ah, BEETS, Neapolitan dialect) and it easily rivals the downtown pizza places. It is easily accessible from the Wilbur Cross Parkway.

Pizza here in New Haven is an "embarrassment of riches."

[East Coast Pirate]

126. I'll definitally try those.

I'm hungry by the time I reach New Haven.

[bucolic_frolic]

113. Make your own Whole Wheat Pizza

and load it with ingredients you like.

It's all in the recipe, every last detail, and the sauce.

Once you perfect your own formulation, store pizza will rarely be the same.

[jmowreader]

118. That's all well and good...

but we were talking restaurant pizza rather than homemade pizza, and North Idaho is pretty much a fog-shrouded wasteland when it comes to food.

[bucolic_frolic]

122. Sounds like a great place to

open your own restaurant. That's become a staple
of this recession, and without viable competition
the locals should support you once word spreads
of a great dining experience.

I can see the Craigslist ads now:

WANTED: Italian restaurant entrepreneur in
fog-shrouded wasteland.

[Freddie]

92. Papa Johns opened a store in my town recently

Never had it before, had to try.
Yuck! "Pizza is a magical meld of cheese, sauce and crust where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts." This was cheese and sauce on weirdly sweet bread that did not "meld" at all. Like the ovens weren't hot enough. Won't go back.

[SoCalDem]

95. It's telling that the corporate food places call themselves "stores"

instead of restaurants..

[CatWoman]

45. damn straight!!!

[IL Lib]

53. +1 n/t

[madaboutharry]

55. I like the license plate.

[SoCalDem]

57. Thanks.. I thought it was fitting

so I made it copy if you like..I don't mind

[Snarkoleptic]

96. Luvit.

Do you have a slighly larger image you could share?
This image could go viral on social media!

[SoCalDem]

97. I'll make it bigger for you.. BRB

[SoCalDem]

98. Here it is.

[7962]

101. OMG your pics are wild!

What on earth is the cat doing?

[Snarkoleptic]

105. The cat is seeking a zenlike state (or so he tells me).

I feel the other pic represents how Teaparty introspection goes nowhere.

Thanks for the larger pic, I'm off to FB with it and am delighted at the prospect of the irritation it will cause among the conservatives I know.

[stillwaiting]

79. Local businesses get my dollars. Screw the fascist multinationals. nt

[Th1onein]

106. Um, excuse me, but that's just about what they serve.

Red Lobster, especially, sucks. I think they buy their pre-breaded shrimp from Sam's Club. Tastes like rubber, though, not sawdust.

[RiffRandell]

120. Me too.

It's been several years since eating at Applebee's or getting PJ pizza because their food is disgusting.

[trublu992]

2. Great you can vote with your wallet its good for us as the public to know that

[TxDemChem]

20. Some of us took it a step further than just our wallets

Our company catered in Papa John's for a function (I don't even like Papa John's so I would likely have not eaten it anyway) and we all brought our lunches. They wasted quite a bit of money that day and pissed off a few employees. Papa John's hasn't been seen in our building since then - although Jason's Deli is making a killing off of us!

[trublu992]

24. That's even better, Love Jason's deli

[TxDemChem]

48. Me too.

I always get great customer service and I haven't heard a peep out of its owners!

[Deuce]

35. New one opening close by in August, will try them out...

[TxDemChem]

47. Jason's Deli is wonderful

I always go there after dental appointments and kill the salad buffet (a habit of mine at any good salad bar). And they have great catering.

[trublu992]

131. There have complimentary ice cream without any HFCS

chocolate or vanilla or swirl can't be it

[Dustlawyer]

82. I live in the birthplace of Jason's Deli and my friend

From HS we t to work there during college. He never left and now is executive VP under the wonderful family that started it in Beaumont, Tx. They ha e healthy food and the absolute best customer service!

[TxDemChem]

128. I had no idea Jason's started here in Tx

It's wonderful that they have such a great company culture that actually want to stay.

[prole_for_peace]

142. I live in Beaumont too

and I have been eating at Jason's for many, many years. Their food is always good and they don't serve items with artificial trans fat or HFCS.

In the winter I crave their pot roast melt sandwich. I wish they served it year round.

[Democrat 4 Ever]

112. Our office did something similar. Boss wanted to treat the whole office to pizza for some really

good customer service stats. She was going around the office asking what kind of pizza everyone liked, saying she was going to Papa Johns. I graciously thank her but told her not to order any pizza for me as I don't eat PJ's because of the owner's war on his employees. She ended up going to a local pizza show. Win-win for everyone. Great pizza, my co-workers were very supportive, more aware of the situation and PJ's owner lost a pretty sizeable order. I hate Papa John's and everything that smarmy owner stands for.

[TxDemChem]

129. Diss to Papa John's AND...

You all supported a local eatery. Power to the people (and their $)!

[BlueStreak]

109. We need a way to organize for more concrete action here

I wish there were one reliable site I could visit where I could enter a company name and receive a summary of how enlightened the management of that company is. And for those companies truly from the dark ages, I'd like to know some better choices. And wouldn't it be nice if that site then sent an email to Papa Johns (or whomever) each time somebody decided to choose a more enlightened company for their business?

I made the move to Costco last week finally. I rarely go into a WalMart, and have never been in a Sam's Club. Costco is a no-brainer. But Kroger's is a good company too, so I'll keep buying most of my groceries there. In our area, Kroger's is extremely committed to helping fund health care for children in very dire circumstances.

I'm more knowledgeable than the average person about corpoprate behavior, but I don't know them all. I'd really appreciate a site that could quickly give me the information I need to make ethical purchases.

I wonder if somebody like George Soros would help get something like that started.

[prole_for_peace]

143. Not exactly what you are looking for but have you tried the buycott app?

I downloaded it a few weeks ago and used it the first time this weekend. I found out that a lot of the brands I regularly buy are supporting things I don't want to support.

It told me that Target brand toilet paper benefits companies that have something to do with the fur trade.

[BlueStreak]

145. Very interesting. I didn't know about that.

For reference, the site is http://www.buycott.com/

Thanks for the pointer.

[nessa]

3. The message they will get is to not be public about it.

More than likely they will still cut employee hours.

[AmBlue]

60. Perhaps some smartypants will start a website....

where employees can anonymously report on their employers' good (or bad) corporate deeds. That way staying mum won't be an option and the public can take their business to the companies that treat their workers well.

[Moostache]

140. You are absolutely correct.

Take a page out of the Wal-Mart book....brutalize the employees and hide it as much and as long as possible and then keep doing it anyway but don't ever talk about it...

[hollysmom]

4. please, there are so many good restaurants and pizzerias in my neighborhood

why would I eat in those places?
In an Italian neighborhood, we also have Thai, Viet, lots of seafood - all same price or cheaper.

[frylock]

23. yep. i can't believe that there's a market here in san diego for red lobster..

so many great little restaurants and shops at the marina with fresh fish straight off the sport boats. you can sit out on the patio, enjoy a local craft beer and some fresh-caught yellowtail while watching the boats come in.

[hollysmom]

30. make note - lots of good places to eat in San Diego.

very east coast girl here.

[russspeakeasy]

5. Couldn't happen to a more deserving group.

[RainDog]

6. k&r n/t

[Initech]

7. John Schnatter can definitely share the Asshole Of The Year award with Ted Nugent.

[kestrel91316]

8. There is a Papa John's right next door to my office. I go in there at least a couple of times

a week to buy a soda (so sue me) and their business has crashed this past year. Staffing is down, no customers in there when i go in, stocking levels in their fridge are way down, they run out of beverages on a regular basis, they got rid of their big cooler and put a smaller one in.

I think it hit right about the time PJ said he was going to screw employees over Obamacare. Heh.

[AllyCat]

91. At a time most people have less disposable income, putting politics out there for all to see

seems a crummy business model. People are going to say, "Well, I can get better pizza somewhere else" and go to the next place in town that offers pizza without the side of crap. They aren't going the spend the little extra they have on junk food and junk politics.

[truebluegreen]

9. Excellent time for the invisible hand to work...

[Kennah]

46. I think this might actually be the market's invisible finger

[truebluegreen]

49. True!

The middle one.

[NoQuarter]

121. The Fickle Finger Of Fate

strikes again!

[Kennah]

136. Don't risk saying that one three times fast

[geek tragedy]

10. It never occurred to these assholes that Democrats eat at restaurants. nt

[Civilization2]

11. they thought as "job creators" they were the ones wielding the power, guess what, people have power!

[bamasher]

26. Well put.

[myrna minx]

12. K&R n/t

[WinkyDink]

13. These CEO's seriously misjudged who their customers are. Hint: They aren't named "Romney."

[Locrian]

16. heh

You know there's not much thought usually when people eat at these chains - they're pretty much interchangeable 'bar food' with 'flair'. It's not wise to give people a reason to pass your place by!

[ZRT2209]

17. good. I would rather eat dirt than Papa John's. What an a-hole.

[Captain Stern]

18. There's a lesson here

And most places get it, but some don't.

People WILL STOP patronizing a business that advertises politics that they don't agree with. However, people WON'T START patronizing a place that they don't really like, just because they think they are politically aligned. (they will for a day, but not forever).

[47of74]

31. They don't realize that Caribou Barbie comes for the attention...

....and once that goes away she and the rest of her fucking grifter family go away too.

[tularetom]

81. There's some truth to that

For instance, if Chick-fil-a wised up and changed their dumbass religious whacko policies, I would start going there again because the food was actually pretty good.

Papa Johns, Applebees, Red Lobster? Not a fucking chance.

[Captain Stern]

103. I'm the same way

I like the food at Chick-fil-A, but I don't eat there because I don't want to give them a dime of my money. We have plenty of other restaurants that have food I like.

Applebees and Red Lobster could endorse every single thing I believe in, and I still wouldn't eat there regularly. Their food just isn't that good. I still order Papa John's once in a while, just because their pizza is equal in suckitude to Domino's., and those are the only two places that deliver here.

[L0oniX]

19. Can't say that these self important sociopaths didn't ask for the payback.

Good employees should change employers too when possible.

[frylock]

21. reap the whirlwind, mofos!

[Yavin4]

25. Easiest Boycott Ever

Show your support by not eating shitty food. Done.

[BainsBane]

27. Notice they also all have lousy food

Combine lousy food with bad PR, and you're in trouble.

[hue]

28. Good news! Baad food that only enriches the ceos. Easy boycot!!

[47of74]

29. Don't care for either place

Any time we go to Applebees it's not my idea to go, that's for goddamn sure. I'd rather patronize the local places instead of some big chain.

[SaveAmerica]

33. I was so mad I went to Maine for lobstah instead of

Eating at Red Lobster.

[A Little Weird]

34. This article was from December

I wonder how they are doing now. Hopefully the public has not forgotten their crappy attitudes toward their employees. I live in a small town without a lot of options other than chains, but I haven't forgotten this and have steered friends toward other options when getting pizza.

[RedstDem]

36. papa john lost a fortune pissing off my kids

he was going to make a bundle off them, they shut his but down...he blew it..

l.o.l

[MissNostalgia]

37. Good

I asked for my account to be deleted from the Papa Johns website and soon after got a mass influx of spam. Im sure I posted this before but I just cant get over them selling my email.

[reformist2]

38. You know what's funny? I had forgotten why I was mad at Papa John's, but still had negative feelings

I have to wonder if this is generally true, that bad things the company or execs do might linger long after the initial uproar has subsided.... that anger over a specific issue calcifies into generally negative feelings.

[Ed Suspicious]

43. I think it's absolutely true. It seems to be with me. I feel much the same way

In that I simply don't have a good feeling about them anymore.

[Gore1FL]

39. Has the trend continued in 2013? n/t

[Snake Plissken]

40. These idiots should have thought about which demographic their restaurants cater to

instead of thinking about impressing Right Wing Country Club Buddies, these morons are getting exactly what they deserve

[ReRe]

41. A little blast from the past....

... on how to make your own Papa John's Pizza:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1018234319

[Ed Suspicious]

42. I'm not a huge Applebee's fan after pulling a plastic bag from my fettuccine Alfredo

A few years back, but I liked papa John well enough for an easy order in dinner after work and running kids, and I loved Red Lobster. For years it was my favorite place to celebrate my birthday. Steak, lobster, biscuits, and a boat filled with Sam Adams. Haven't been to either place since. I haven't exactly made a conscious decision to not go, it's just that the whole dust up left a bad taste in my mouth and I just never feel like going. Their shenanigans subconsciously destroyed my good feeling I once got over the thought of going to their places. They seriously made a huge miscalculation to broadcast their douchiness. They lost a decent customer in me simply because it doesn't sound like a good time to be there anymore. If the turned me off as somebody who really did like the food... Well, I'm obviously not the only one.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

44. Not gonna help. These guys are assholes and they believe that's what made them great.

[Scurrilous]

50. K & R

[muntrv]

51. Bwahahaha! The Papa Johns across the street from where I work closed down

and is now an empty lot. They're going to build some high rise apartments/condominiums there.

[pacalo]

52. Papa John's went out of business in my area just recently.

[ksomao]

54. Does this writer seriously believe the poor performance is because their Obamacare beliefs

They have a lot of other issues. It has nothing to do with stupid comments around Obamacare. Papa Johns needs quit shortcutting their dough and cook a decent pizza, and, Applebee's needs simply better mange their business. They where just a couple of a large number of restaurants that did not make numbers, many of which believe in Obamacare.

[Wednesdays]

56. So, what do you say to all the posters above

who say the boycott is justified? Are they all wrong?


Oh, and welcome to DU.

[Hestia]

83. And this family too has not gone to any of them after their remarks

It makes it hard to take Mom out because she wants to eat at Red Lobster or Olive Garden, etc. but I told her no, "we" don't there, let's go find a local place, and we do. I'm getting her off chain food - other than Jason's Deli - and onto local businesses. Can't wait - Bruno's Little Italy is opening again - yea! - on August 1st. They'll be getting all my pizza money. They've been open, off and on, since 1947. Hmm...

[Arugula Latte]

100. It's not like their food suddenly got crappy -- it was always crappy.

So something else is going on.

[HumansAndResources]

58. Good People Don't Support Billionaire's Chains

If you "eat out" - rather than preparing food you purchased at the farmer's-market - go to a mom-and-pop business for goodness sakes. Those companies who got "waivers" from Obamacare laws are not any better than the ones who openly said they would "do their corporate duty" to "maximize return to shareholders."

This is what corporations do. Of course they are going to shift to part-time workers. Anyone could have seen that coming, but what a great way to "spread the jobs" out and make unemployment numbers go down while poverty increases and living standards of the "employed" go straight to hell.

Tying "health insurance" to a "job" was a stupid policy from the get-go. What does one have to do with the other? Are we just "dependents" of the corporations, such that we need the government to "enforce" that they "take care of us" like their children (read: "slaves&quot ? This is the "logic" we get when a people are "de-facto homeless" unless they have "money" to pay some "landed" person for "permission" to live on their own planet.

Further, funding billionaire "investors" living on yachts in the Bahamas with our health-care dollars is idiotic, at best, when the Treasury could underwrite the plan. Just pay some top-actuarials to make the calculations, and offer it to everyone for a fixed-rate.

For those who "cannot afford the premium," import-tariffs might be in order, since American's current state of poverty is directly tied to the offshoring of jobs, to make products that are "sold back to us" in our markets. Charging some people more for health insurance, to fund the poor who cannot afford it, primarily hurts the working-folks who pay those premiums. Let's have the 'cause' of poverty pay for the 'effect', instead.

Read the 1990s Republican counter-proposal to Hillarycare, and you will find Obamacare nearly to the letter - 'forced-mandate' and all. "Forced to Fund Billionaires," that is. Read that back to any Republican hypocrites who feign disgust at the current policy; they have short memories and may need a reminder.

[IdaBriggs]

72. Welcome to DU!

And for this post!

[Blue Owl]

59. Let the free market tell those fuckos what's real

n/t

[Cha]

61. Ah, poor papa john and his incessant whining about ObamaCare!

and that applebee's guy.. whoda thunk they would be losing business with their screeds?!

they were so hoping for mitt and mini mitt..

[dbackjon]

62. We will have to watch ALL companies carefully

You will see some big companies in retail try this.

[SoapBox]

63. Payback can be a real...

b*tch.

[sakabatou]

65. Now with church choir

[bluedeathray]

64. THIS IS IT

This is the way to change America.

Hit 'em in the fucking wallet. It holds true that we control the corporations. With our money.

It'll take some time. It's been 40+ years since "trickle down" theory was implemented. But we can show those bastards who's boss.

Now if we can get Elizabeth Warren in office to start taming the financial market...

[Warren DeMontague]

66. Crapplebees?

Yuk.

[Bigredhunk]

67. Not Sure If I Buy This/These Report(s)

Because it sounds way too good to be true (i.e. I want it to be, and I just can't see my luck being that good). Hope they're true though.

I do miss eating Papa John's. It's not great, of course. But for cheap chain pizza, we always liked it. Haven't eaten there since he had the fundraiser for Robme at his Kentucky home last July (the one at which Robme looked at Schnatter's golf course and pool and said, "You see..Democrats don't think anyone should live like this. Republicans believe everyone should live like this." Yeah? Who's cleaning the pool and mowing the lawns dipshit? What an asinine comment.)

Since they opened their dumbasss yaps, I've boycotted:

Papa John's
Jimmy John's (whose dad lent him $25,000 to start a business out of college -- which is what every parent should do according to Robme)
Applebee's

which were added to my previous list of:

Domino's
Mall-Wart
all the Koch-owned brands

It gets hard, as almost every business outside of Costco has asshole ethics/policies. I try to stay away from as many places as I can. Haven't been inside a Mall-Wart in just about 10 years (next March) -- haven't spent money in one for longer. This one has gotten much more difficult for me living around here. I've become someone who really prefers to shop at night (fewer people, beat the heat/humidity which gets unbearable every summer). It's the only place that's open 24/7 that has all the stuff I want. I still won't go there, but it's hard. Every other damn place closes too early (Costco - 8:30, Worst Buy - 9:00, Target - 10:00). Sure, Hy-vee is open 24/7, but you'd go bankrupt buying all your stuff there (hate the place).

Lastly, I'm pretty sure the NY Applebee's douche is Zane Tankel, not Terkel as was reported here. I remember his asshole name from last summer/fall.

[Divine Discontent]

69. GOOD JOB! keep it up, I boycott nearly all that, especially PJohn's & Koch products

[Freddie]

93. Thanks for this!

I usually buy store brand (Giant PA) paper products, does Koch Ind. make store brands also?

[AllyCat]

89. Domino's: My longest running store boycott.

All the others too. Darden restaurants I did not know about. We ate at one (Olive Garden) last month while on the road to try their gluten-free menu. It was HORRIBLE! I've never met a pasta restaurant that could overcook pasta into mush. And I mean mush. Then they served it to us after taking away our wine glasses as we were considering the wine list. Ditzy waitron said "you won't need these". Took forever to get the food (probably because they were overboiling the pasta) and she brought two bowls of that horrible salad: all iceberg lettuce, two olives, three slices of tomato, and a few shreds of purple cabbage. Then she brought us a huge basket of bread sticks (on a gluten-free diet).

They deserve to feel the hit for their politics after the hit for their DREADFUL food and service.

[Bigredhunk]

68. Also

I check out Slickdeals often. Papa John's has had a lot of great deals on pizza. They just had 50% off any large with an online order. I wonder if this b/c business has gone south(?)

[Quantess]

70. Essentially they got in the spotlight and announced: "Management are Assholes"

We resent our workers and we probably don't really appreciate our customers, either. We just want to take your money and keep as much of it as possible and not give our workers a decent wage, because we're petty, selfish, greedy, corporate, sociopaths.

Great message, there.

[BlackX-068]

71. 8 Chicagoland Applebee's stores have closed.

This happened in May 2013. There are only 3 in the area by us now (SouthWest Burbs).

[Hubert Flottz]

74. My wife's parents and their friends went to an Applebee's and

When one of their blooming onions arrived, it had a big black fuzzy deep fried fly on it. Nice color contrast, but it was quickly sent back.

[Hubert Flottz]

73. I quit going to PJs soon after the first one opened here, because...

I never ordered their hairball topping, but I got it free anyway.

Still makes me sick to remember. Maybe they should offer a paraffin liquid dip for their bread sticks?

[DonCoquixote]

75. in every business, but especially food

It is easy to piss off the customer, which is suicide. They should have never said their sentiments out loud, much less to the press.

[Notafraidtoo]

77. My best friend works at Papa Johns.

And has for 5 years, He says business is down 40% over last year and is the worse year he has seen so far, this is in Kentucky.

[Sancho]

78. I don't go to Papa John's or Applebee's any more...

John Schnatter is definitely on my list.

[Egalitariat]

80. Papa John's stock price is up 40% in the last 12 months

[Squinch]

132. This is true. How do we explain that? If business is down, which the above information

suggests, do you think they are just cutting costs and making the financial statements look good?

Or possibly there is a lag between this reduction of customers and the financial reporting.

Or possibly, people hate it and still go there.

It's horrifying that they are that profitable for investors.

[Incitatus]

141. The article isn't citing sales.

Papa John’s, Applebee’s, and Denny’s were measured with YouGov BrandIndex’s Buzz score, which asks respondents, "If you've heard anything about the brand in the last two weeks, through advertising, news or word of mouth, was it positive or negative?" Results were filtered adults 18+ who have eaten at casual dining restaurants in the past month.

Papa John’s Buzz score high point for the month came on Election Day – November 6th – with a score of 32. Eight days later, the score had dropped 10 points down to 22, when the spam text lawsuit was unveiled. A few days later, Papa John’s dropped below Pizza Hut’s score and is presently at 4


http://www.brandindex.com/article/anti-obamacare-rhetoric-buzz

They also have establishments in other countries so while some businesses in blue areas in the US might be suffering, overall sales have likely increased.

I'm not posting in support of them. IMO their pizza tastes like crap.

[Squinch]

144. No, I get that you aren't supporting them, and you are right that their stock us up 40%.

[Egalitariat]

146. I think it means the YouGov Brand Buzz index is as meaningless as the Lola Opinion Factor

And Lola is my 4 year old daughter.

[Squinch]

147. But brand value is an interesting concept. The stock price IS up, so if we see a drop

over the next few quarters, we can hypothesize that the stock price lags wider public opinion about the brand. That's an interesting piece of information if it bears out.

On the other hand, if we see no change, or a continuous rise, the Lola's have it!

[meaculpa2011]

84. Many retailers and restaurant chains are limiting...

hours to 29.5 and not talking about it.

My son works for one of the largest department store chains in the country. Well respected, they even offer benefits to part timers at a fairly reasonable buy-in price. But when average hours go above 30, a new benefit level requirement kicks in.

Welcome to the new normal.

[ctsnowman]

85. I haven't eaten or shopped at

any of these places since they opened their fat fucking mouths. They have locked in ridiculously low tax rates and need to STFU and keep carting their wheelbarrows of cash quietly out of the country to their "safe" tax havens. Nah... better yet let them keep whining so they can go bankrupt. Maybe then we can get some mom and pops back who will look their workers in the eye and possibly have/grow some compassion for them.

[Politicub]

86. Boycotts work, people

Some on DU question the effectiveness of boycotts, but they clearly have an impact.

A boycott damages both the bottom line and reputation of companies.

I started boycotting Whole Foods over its CEO's views of Obamacare, too.

[AndyA]

88. Hit 'em where it hurts: in their bank accounts

It's the only thing they value, understand, and are concerned about.

Haven't eaten at any of those places since the comments were made, and even before, only very rarely ate at Applebee's, Olive Garden or Red Lobster.

It's nice to know progressives can have an impact by sticking together and not supporting anti-American, anti-worker businesses. Same goes for Rush Limbaugh--he can't last much longer, his corporate masters are losing too much money keeping him on the air.

Serves them right--they're just a bunch of hypocrites who hate people.

[NEDem]

90. Since this op ed was published 12/04/2012, I'd be curious of this were still the case

Last edited Sun Jul 21, 2013, 04:00 PM - Edit history (1)

[dickthegrouch]

94. Where are the shareholder lawsuits?

If a company is bound to maximize shareholder value, why are there not 200 greedy lawyers chasing these companies? Surely causing earnings projections re-statements in the light of reputations plunging is poor fiscal management? What's happened to the share prices in the same period? Because, as usual, investor memory is fleeting.

Papa John's:
https://www.etrade.wallst.com/v1/stocks/charts/charts.asp?symbol=PZZA&duration=365&frequency=1day

Applebees:
https://www.etrade.wallst.com/v1/stocks/charts/charts.asp?symbol=DIN&duration=365&frequency=1day

Darden:
https://www.etrade.wallst.com/v1/stocks/charts/charts.asp?symbol=DRI&duration=365&frequency=1day

[indepat]

102. May these rather epic declines continue, even escalate. Up yours, mien Papa John heir

with a rubber hose.

[mucifer]

104. I love living in Chicago where every 2 or 3 blocks you can go

to a local pizza place and often get a great cheap slice. There are several chains in the area that have only a few stores.

[nyquil_man]

107. I get a creepy vibe from Schnatter. Always have.

It's only gotten worse since he started commenting on politics.

[bettyellen]

114. yay!

[ZX86]

115. What were they thinking?

Boasting about how you're going to screw your lowest paid and most vunerable employees out of health care? What's the next promotional gimmick on their responsible corporate citizen good will tour? "We'll drown a box of kittens when you purchase two large pizzas and bread sticks"?

[Rebellious Republican]

116. They live in a bubble....

glad it has been burst by my brothers and sisters! Let more of this happen, its the only language they understand, MONEY.

[Volaris]

119. All right, here's my thought...

If Wal-Mart, the Nations largest retailer, thinks that Medicare is so much better than any private-insurance-based system that could exist, that they are willing to have their OWN EMPLOYEES put onto Medicare rolls (by whatever means necessary BTW) don't we think that should be an argument for Single-Payer/MEDICARE FOR ALL/THe Public Option?

Isn't Wal-mart, tacitly stating "Hey, Yeah, we know damn-well there is a better option available than the ACA, and we also ENDORSE the adoption of such a system at the Federal Level"...

Either they are too stupid to realize they have stuck the gun in theor own mouth, or Wal-Mart thinks SOCIALIZED MEDICINE is just that peachy of an idea.

Any takers on which it is?

Oh, and FUck Pappa John's their pizza sucks. Applebees Im whatever on, but the article is correct, it IS fast food. Lonestar is too expensive for what they serve (local steakhouse places are better quality for the same price-- I'm in St. Louis), and Red Lobster is just..well...

[MrYikes]

127. I change channels on the tv when a PJ commercial comes on.

I may go back to that channel after an hour, but I won't see the program that was on. I have never eaten a pj pizza.
I stopped going to Sears in 1982 and will never return.
It is so easy to lose customers and so very difficult to get them back.

[heaven05]

130. don't

won't ever eat in those places. Yet I know that workers who are not at fault in this whole political mess are the only ones that will end up paying, lost jobs, wages ect. dilemma, for sure.

[WovenGems]

133. Footus in Mouthus disease

If you publicly say you don't want your employees to have health care then you just told the majority of your customer base how you feel about them. McDonalds stock dropped today and I think it is because investors think the company just insulted their customers by belittling their employees. Oops.

[JimboBillyBubbaBob]

134. I like to cook myself, so.............

..................no Chick fil' A, Hardee's, Papa John's, McDonald's, Red Lobster, Applebee's, Olive Garden, or Domino's. Their politics just made them easier to ignore.

[Tiredofthesame]

135. Consumers standing up by choosing where they spend their money?? Who knew...

something like this could work. <----- Sarcasm. The real problem is the sticktoitivness of the group as a whole in keeping their money away from these places. Maybe I am full of cynicism, but over half these people who give low grades now will have Papa Johns on their table in just a few Friday nights. I eat absolutely nowhere that is corporately driven, and it drives my girlfriend nuts, but I stick to my guns. I have a buddy who will not go to Chick-Fil-A because of the whole christian fundamentalist crap they just went through, but just told me he went to cracker barrel this weekend? That place is owned by the same type of people and they went public with their nonsense what, just three years ago? Believing in something=cool. Taking action=respect.

[Quantess]

138. The Papa Johns brouhaha happened several months ago.

I think John Schnatter was the first and loudest. What a doof. Plus we got to see photos of his ultra-tacky mansion on facebook (yes, it was a bit of a facebook meme).

I never bought a papa john's pizza myself, but I damn sure won't ever buy one now!
Same goes for Applebees. Why the hell would I ever eat at Applebees?

[Rex]

137. Papa Johns was my favorite pizza joint.

When I found out what a trickle down bastard the owner is, I stopped eating there and actually persuaded most people I know to stop eating there too. Think of how a chain reaction works.

Up until their CEO opened his big yap and said he was a free market asshole, revenue must have been gushing in...now I bet not so much. All this bullshit talk about your company being about the employees and a great product...whatever cry me a river.

I will never eat there again, I hardly ate at applebees as it is since it is gross around here and the management is horrible.

[stevenleser]

139. Thank you so much for this. I may do a piece on it this week. nt