Morehouse College yesterday announced the suspension of Papa John’s from its campus dining program, following allegations that company founder John Schnatter used a racial epithet during a conference call with public relations consultants.
In a statement posted to the college’s Twitter account, the school will seek other options to replace the campus-based franchise.
Morehouse College on Twitter
Due to a recent racial slur made by Papa John’s founder John Schnatter, @Morehouse is immediately suspending its campus dining relationship with Papa John’s. The College is exploring all options for removal of the franchise from campus in light of this highly offensive behavior.
Morehouse campus dining services are controlled by Aramark, which last month donated $2.25 million to extend the company’s facilities management outsourcing agreement with the college.
Papa John’s, which recently ended its sponsorship deal with the NFL and had a similar deal with Major League Baseball suspended, may face other retribution from HBCU communities. Nicholas Perkins, Founder and CEO of Perkins Management Services Company Inc., has confirmed that his company will terminate its master license agreement with the company and will remove the brand from its on-campus offerings.
“Equality is a cornerstone of American entrepreneurship, in service to customers and in business practices such as competitive bidding, wage distribution and employee benefit provision,” said Perkins, a Fayetteville State University alumnus. “While I am appalled by the revelations of Schnatter’s comments, I am honored to be part of the HBCU network, and applaud one of our institutional leaders taking a public stand against intolerance.”
Perkins manages food service for nine HBCUs and several community colleges, with Burger King, Pizza Hut, Red Mango and Freshens Smoothies franchises among its portfolio.
