Papa John’s Camaro promotion a little weird?
Photo URL: http://www.papasroadtrip.com/
Tomorrow, Wednesday Aug. 26, Papa John’s Pizza locations will give a free pizza to anyone who drives up in a Camaro.
I have heard of some weird promotions before. The weirdest was Chik-Fil-A giving away free meals to people dressed as cows.
This seems a little less weird, but I can’t seem to wrap my head around the logic behind it. But perhaps logic is not the driving force for Papa John’s to give Camaro owners pizza.
Why free pizza for Camaros?
There’s no advertisement on the Papa John’s web site saying “Papa John’s free for Camaro owners!” We’re over here doing everything we can think of to let people know we can find the best personal loan rates, but Papa John’s hasn’t really made a huge deal out of this whole free Papa John’s for Camaros thing. It seems the founder of Papa John’s simply wants to celebrate finding his 1971 Z28 after many years of searching.Here’s a post from the Papa’s Facebook page:
I’m in the mood to celebrate so if you own a Camaro take note. Tomorrow, Wednesday, August 26, we will be giving away a FREE large, one-topping pizza to Camaro owners nationwide, carryout only. To redeem, Camaro owners must arrive at their near by Papa John’s to order and pick up their pizza in their Camaro. Limit one pizza and one visit per Camaro.
The Associated Press tells the story behind this Camaro-centric giveaway:
John Schnatter sold the gold-and-black 1971 Chevrolet Camaro Z28 for $2,800 in 1983. The money helped save his father’s tavern in Jeffersonville, Ind., and he used the rest to start what would become a worldwide pizza business.
But he still missed his beloved Camaro and spent years searching for it. He created a Web site on the search, held promotional appearances and eventually offered $250,000 to whoever found it.
Papa John finds Camaro at last
Schnatter found his Camaro in the same state where Papa John’s is based, Kentucky. The owner, Jeffery Robinson, returned the Camaro to the Papa John’s founder and got the $250,000 reward. Robinson paid $4,000 for the car.
“What a complete shock to know that the car in my garage was partly to thank for starting a company like Papa John’s,” said Jeff Robinson who has owned the car since 2004 and modified it slightly for various races and car shows, but retained most of the original body parts including the hood, rims and tires. “When I realized this was Papa John’s Camaro, I immediately wanted to get him his car back.”
Papa John’s Camaro roadtrip
Papa Joh really kicked his search for his long-lost Camaro into high gear in May, when he started a journey he called Papa John’s Road Trip. He chronicled the whole thing online.
At Papa John’s Road Trip you can see pictures of Papa John’s Camaro from 1983 and photos of his father’s tavern, where he first made pizza. Papa John’s Road Trip also was a celebration of the chain’s 25 years in the business. Papa John started his company the year after he sold his Camaro. Here’s an excerpt from Papa John’s Road Trip:
In 1983, “Papa” John Schnatter, the founder of Papa John’s pizza, loved two things: Cars and Pizza.
One had to go. So he sold his prized 1971 Z28 Camaro, purchased $1,600 worth of restaurant equipment a year later and began making his “better ingredients” pizzas.
What’s cooking with Camaros
I haven’t seen or heard tell of any restrictions on what type of Camaro qualifies for a free pizza. Considering that Chevrolet has been making Camaros for 43 years, there could be a whole lot of free pizza flying out of the Papa John’s kitchen and into Camaros tomorrow.
Chevy is currently working on a 2010 Camaro, which is classified part of the fifth generation of Camaros. Papa John’s 1971 Camaro was par of the second generation of Camaros, and it will be on display at the company headquarters.
