Papa John's apology to Cleveland

this is a non-political entry.  Papa John's issued a Tee Shirt which called LeBron James a CryBaby with his number 23. This was in response to a Wizard's player DeShawn Stevenson calling Lebron a cry baby for complaints about being fouled. Papa John's decided  to issue an apology today to all Cleveland area residents: you can go to any area Papa John's and get a large one topping pizza for 23 cents.

There's only one catch....

way too many people are trying to take advantage of the offer. They decided yesterday not to accept on-line orders and this morning are no longer taking telephone orders. You have to show up, wait in line, order and then wait for your pizza.

What were they thinking? This is Cleveland where the economy is horrible. The result:

Lines in Shaker Heights and elsewhere are 2000 people long. People are waiting hours to get a 23 cent pizza. The traffic is causing traffic jams all over the Cleveland area. And Papa John's is open until 11 pm tonight...and the Cavaliers are playing the Celtics tonight starting at 7 pm.

Think things are going to get worse? That's my prediction. This link has some photos of the lines.

http://www.wkyc.com/...

Why didn't they just offer 23 cent coupons that could be used over the course of a month? Lots of people are really annoyed and there will be some blow-back against Papa John's...again. Then what'll they do?

This is a true story, offered for it's relative levity and non-political content.

UPDATE: More info, this deal is good at 86 NorthEast Ohio Papa John's. Lines are sometimes longer than 2 hours, WKYC reports that one of their reporters was in line 3 hours and 20 minutes. And Shaker Heights police are arresting line jumpers. This could get ugly folks.

UPDATE 2: Sorry, not arresting line jumpers, just kicking them out of line.  

•  Look at all the publicity they're getting

  And it's great to have pictures of people waiting in line around the block to buy your product.  

  by lineatus on Thu May 08, 2008 at 11:04:47 AM PDT

•  23 cent Pizza!!!

  where? where? Get outta my way...   :)

  by ebbinflo on Thu May 08, 2008 at 11:05:23 AM PDT

•  Won't catch me in on of those lines

  Papa John's pizza is horrible.  I wouldn't eat it if they paid me.

  by JCAinCLE on Thu May 08, 2008 at 11:05:30 AM PDT

  •  Whole lotta people will never buy that pizza

    again....

    Sounds like they've just made their PR nightmare even worse and that whole "word of mouth" thing is going to bite them in the ass - figuratively speaking.

    by PatsBard on Thu May 08, 2008 at 11:07:20 AM PDT

  •  I live in Mayfield

    The home of mom-and-pop pizza shops.  Good stuff.  I generally avoid PJs and other pizza chains, but 23 cents is such a deal, I may take one for the team - the Cavs that is.

    by EntrWriter on Thu May 08, 2008 at 11:09:04 AM PDT

    •  workin' in Valley View right now,

      just down the road a bit.  We tried to get a few for the office today but gave up when we saw the lines.

      by middle child on Thu May 08, 2008 at 11:10:49 AM PDT

      •  People would need to be pretty desperate to

        wait in that line. 2,000 people in line for pizza??? That makes me really, really sad. The photos look like something from The Great Depression soup line photos.

        by dawnt on Thu May 08, 2008 at 12:38:42 PM PDT

    •  I'll cheer on the Cavs tonight,

      with a decent pie from one of the fine mom-and-pop pizza parlors in my area (Bay Village).

      by JCAinCLE on Thu May 08, 2008 at 11:16:47 AM PDT

  •  Personally

    I really like it. But, I tried calling this morning for almost an hour to place an order and the phone was busy the whole time. Gave up and looked online. When I saw the news reports, I figured that this could be trouble.

    by hopeful on Thu May 08, 2008 at 11:25:18 AM PDT

•  tips?

  by hopeful on Thu May 08, 2008 at 11:05:46 AM PDT

•  I've heard

  that the owner of the Papa John's chain is a hard-core, Bush-loving, nutcase, conservative.

  by Corneliusmingus on Thu May 08, 2008 at 11:08:10 AM PDT

  •  Well -- as someone who lives in The Ville

    I can tell you this -- John Schnatter has stepped up repeatedly to donate money to various causes within the city, and not just the football stadium.

    Don't know his politics, although it wouldn't surprise me to hear he is Republican. But "nutcase" is untrue, AFAIK.

    by bmaples on Thu May 08, 2008 at 11:15:20 AM PDT

    •  I remember getting some excellent pizzas

      from Bearno's and Impellizzeri's.  Here's hoping they're still around!

      by corvo on Thu May 08, 2008 at 11:29:50 AM PDT

  •  The former Domono's owner is

    I haven't heard Papa John's having that reputation.

    by Catte Nappe on Thu May 08, 2008 at 11:21:25 AM PDT

  •  He is...

    which is why friends of mine, as well as myself don't go there. I did have a friend who worked at one for a while in college as a manager, and every day she would give me a free pizza - as well as people we knew on campus. One friend of hers was a single mom - that family ate because of the hookups my friend gave her.

    I think this is a good thing, because the owner (the hard-core, Bush-loving, conservative, scum-sucking puss-pocket nutcase owner of the chain) will see it come out of the "bottom line" in this months figures. Thousands of people getting 23¢ pizzas equals tens of thousands of dollars of loss... each of those pizzas is worth more than 23¢s in labour and materials!

    I hope they have more people than they can deal with, and that this is the most customers they have - EVER.

    And for people who think that this will be good for the future of PJ's, consider this: a lot of these people prolly don't eat at pizza places (unless they have a hook up at the restaurant) because it COSTS TOO MUCH! This may be these people's one encounter with a pizza restaurant this year... and waiting in line three hours to get a pizza isn't gonna leave a good impression. And remember, this is an apology for insulting one of their folk heros!

    I'm glad PJ's is swamped... if I was anywhere near on with the 23¢ pizzas, I'd go myself, just to say "fuck you!" to PJ's and thier ridiculing a sports figure.

    by Hellenic Pagan on Thu May 08, 2008 at 12:01:04 PM PDT

•  We're surrounded by idiots n/t

  by Ivey476 on Thu May 08, 2008 at 11:08:21 AM PDT

•  I Am Actually Still Pissed

  my team, the Wizards, felt the need to poke the tiger that is James. Like he isn't good enough without having to piss him off.

  by webranding on Thu May 08, 2008 at 11:08:37 AM PDT

  •  From Cleveland...props to you

    For knowing that wasn't an intelligent move.

    by EntrWriter on Thu May 08, 2008 at 11:10:03 AM PDT

    •  It Was Stupid With A Capital "S"

      I prefer my teams let their play speak for themselves.  I often find that people that have to talk shit usually can't back it up.

      by webranding on Thu May 08, 2008 at 11:13:18 AM PDT

  •  I think

    That was just a reaction to the fact that the Cav's are now in the Wizards' collective heads, having dismissed them now for the third straight year in a row from the playoffs in the first round.

    My spousal unit and I were halfway thinking of getting in on this pizza deal, except that we were pretty sure that what's described here would wind up happening.  

    by classico on Thu May 08, 2008 at 11:18:03 AM PDT

•  Screw Lebron

  he wore a Yankees cap to the Tribe's ALDS series last year.  That was even dumber than a 23 cent pizza promotion.

  by zenbowl on Thu May 08, 2008 at 11:14:17 AM PDT

  •  BFD

    "Screw Lebron"? WTF is up with that?

    Shooting, scoring, hustling, pulling his team onward and upward and putting the Wizards in their place, he can wear any g-damned hat he wants.

    FTFY, who gives a rats patootie about them anyway?

    The Papa John's t-shirt was a stupid idea, and the pizza still sucks, 23 cents or free.

    by GuyFromOhio on Thu May 08, 2008 at 11:17:44 AM PDT

•  Oh, my

  Eighty-six stores in Cleveland, Columbus, Toledo and Youngstown are in on the deal, each prepared to sell more than 900 pies on Thursday

   Hope they were planning on "more than 900" - like maybe a couple thousand more.

  by Catte Nappe on Thu May 08, 2008 at 11:20:05 AM PDT

  •  Exactly,

    one of the reasons I think this'll become a major fustercluck.

    by hopeful on Thu May 08, 2008 at 11:21:21 AM PDT

  •  Think of the level of pissedness that will occur

    ... when they start running out of toppings... or sauce... or cheese... or dough.

    That could get reallllllllly ugly.

    Hungry people can be hard to deal with.
    Hungry pissed people can start a riot.

    Just sayin'

    by Hellenic Pagan on Thu May 08, 2008 at 12:04:01 PM PDT

    •  Fist fights

      are already breaking out in Euclid according to the news.

      by hopeful on Thu May 08, 2008 at 12:08:10 PM PDT

      •  Oh Lords!

        This is not gonna end well...

        I feel so sorry for everyone for whom this promise of an affordible pizza has turned into a nightmare!

        ~~~I'm sending good vibes to the patrons, the workers, and the police who will have to deal with the frustrations!~~~~
        (If the above is too much hippy-loveburger-dipshit-pagan-esque stuff for you - TOUGH!);-P

        Up next on Pizza riot news: Bush offers 23¢ pizza to ALL AMERICANS! NO PIZZA LEFT BEHIND!!!

        by Hellenic Pagan on Thu May 08, 2008 at 12:16:39 PM PDT

        •  yeah, well

          when you plan for 900 pizzas for 12 hours of time and 2000 people show up before 2 pm, it's an inevitable sign of trouble. I suspect most of these stores will close early and people will keep showing up, looking o the 23 cent pizzas...

          What will people do if they stop by at 6 pm and the store is closed?

          hmmmmmm

          by hopeful on Thu May 08, 2008 at 12:32:47 PM PDT

          •  Oddly enough

            I was once in a rather comparable situation. We shut down for two days. Regrouped. Set up a "coupon/ticket" approach that let us limit how many per day, and spread the demand out over multiple days.

            I would also say, their 23 cent offer was guaranteed to create a mess. $1.23 or 2.30 or something would have somewhat reduced the clamor.

            by Catte Nappe on Thu May 08, 2008 at 12:45:09 PM PDT

            •  here here

              they could have offered $5 coupons for 23 days or 23 cent coupons for the duration of the playoffs or any number of other scenarios that would have ended more pleasantly...

              Now they are running out of pizzas and most stores will be closed by dinner-time, I am guessing.

              by hopeful on Thu May 08, 2008 at 12:58:31 PM PDT

        •  Vibe away

          I'm with you in my own prayerful vibish way.

          by Catte Nappe on Thu May 08, 2008 at 12:47:05 PM PDT