Does Papa John’s Pizza Hire Felons?

Papa John’s is a popular pizza chain in the United States that offers home delivery services of their products. Operating as the fourth largest pizza chain in the US, Papa John’s is often a great place for teenagers to work their first part time job.

For first time workers, Papa John’s offers great work experience and integral skills into the work field. As it is a great first job for teenagers, it can serve as a great second chance for felons looking to move forward.

About Papa John’s

Papa John’s holds the title for the fourth largest pizza chain in the US and is a great contender for one of the best quality pizza companies nationwide. Known for their hand-tossed dough,and use of 100% mozzarella and similarly fresh ingredients, Papa Johns is a crowd favorite.

Founded by entrepreneur John Schnatter, Papa John’s opened its doors on October 2, 1984 in Jefferson, Indiana. While pizza was nothing new to locals, John introduced a unique pizza dipping sauce which was later on trademarked and became the signature of the franchise.

Today, Papa John’s has over 5,000 branches across the US and has even branched out internationally, with stores in 44 different countries worldwide. Since opening, Papa John’s has been voted “Best Pizza” in over 100 states nationwide and has also gained annual recognition for #1 Customer Satisfaction.

For full time employees, Papa John’s offers a variety of employee benefits covering healthcare, future planning, and extra bonuses. Aside from the standard 401k, Papa Johns also covers healthcare, dental and vision insurance, paid vacation, legal services, and a series of miscellaneous employee assistance.

Aside from company benefits, Papa John’s offers a Dough and Degrees program which pays for tuition of eligible employees at participating Universities. Proving once more that Papa John’s is employee friendly and offers a great working environment for people of all ages.

Does Papa John’s Hire Felons?

After extensive research, it does not appear that felons would be discouraged from applying at Papa John’s. In fact, there are testimonies from former employees stating that there have even been employees with felonies who were able to reach a managerial position.

All in all, whether or not Papa John’s will hire someone with a felony truly depends. This depends not only on the management and the store, but what kind of charges and how long ago they occurred.  All in all, non-violent felons with no conflicts after release have a higher chance of hire.

Does Papa John’s Run Background Checks?

Just like most companies, Papa John’s does run background checks. The type of checks depend on the store and the management. While some employees cite that they were not required to undergo background check, standard procedure follows the 7 year rule.

Additionally, since Papa John’s is a pizza delivery chain, it is important for drivers to have drug tests that go back 3 years. Other checks would include whether or not one has incurred a DUI and other precautions alike.

Careers at Papa John’s

Papa John’s offers a variety of job positions and is often on the search for new hires. Checking online or at your local franchise would be the best way to know if there is an opening for restaurant positions. Aside from restaurant positions there are also corporate jobs, distribution jobs, and driver/transportation jobs available.

Corporate jobs deal more with managing franchises from a far. They are often also in charge of overlooking online applications and filtering out who can pass to the interviews with the local branches.

Distribution jobs are factory and production. These are the heart of the operation as they overlook the packing and shipping of materials such as Papa John’s signature sauce which comes to the stores perfectly packaged.

Restaurant jobs are self explanatory and most common. These are the employees who take orders, make the food, pack the food and keep the operations clean in terms of each individual store in order to pass inspection.

Transportation and driver jobs deal with food transfer. Some drivers are tasked with delivering materials from store to store or store to warehouse, whereas other drivers take on home delivery.

Application Process at Papa Johns

Applying for a position at Papa John’s can be as simple as online or in store depending on the position you are applying for. Corporate jobs and others alike should be applied to via the Papa John’s website.

When applying to store positions, going in store to ask for an application or opening is a great way to start. Greeting your potential employers and coworkers makes a great first impression.

After applying consider following up on the status of your application and resume. If the application does not ask whether or not you have a felony, you are not obligated to release that information but remember not to lie if it comes up in the interview.

Make sure to be professional. This is a given but do not take this position lightly just because it is a pizza chain. A job is a job, whether it is at an office or if it’s making pizza. This could be the start of something bigger.

Lastly, be confident. Show your employers that you are capable of the position at hand and offering you a position at Papa Johns is a mutually beneficial decision between you and the employer.