jobbite
I have worked for Papa Johns Pizza for approx. 3 years as a delivery driver. I have worked in the Food Service/Pizza industry for over 20 years, primarily as a second job. The experience I list here will be from the perspective of a Delivery Driver.
I would have to say that overall Papa Johns can be a good place to work, _if_ you are lucky enough to get into a store that has a decent and reasonably competent manager, if not, you are screwed coming and going. Unfortunately it seems most of the stores are managed and staffed by incompetent people.
Pros:
a. Easy work in general
b. Papa Johns is so lawsuit scared that unless you really are a major screwup, you could probably be there through a lot of BS.
c. better than average tips if in a store doing a reasonable amount of business in most cases. This is because Papa Johns is a more expensive pizza and therefore attracts people who can afford to spend a little more and tip a little more.
Cons:
a. Lack of respect to their employees even as the people who are being disrespectful demand respect
b. Threatening/combative work environment - manager complaints regarding employees performance are often laid out in public in the form of bitch messages posted in store with threats of cut hours and termination in all of them, making everyone fearful of their jobs/hours. Managers routinely schedule full time employees for 35 hours, then demand they stay late on shifts, then complain/threaten the employee with cut hours and termination if the employee goes into overtime.
c. Lack of understanding of Real Life issues. This is my biggest peave with Papa Johns. I beg my manager for more hours but he will not give them to me, claiming the store does not have more hours to give out, thus I have a second job. I had this second job when I hired on to Papa Johns and they knew it. They promise to be understanding of peoples schedules yet demand employees stay late on shifts because of sales volume. They then complain/threaten employees when an employee tells them they have to leave even when that time is AFTER said employee is scheduled to be off work, even if that time is SEVERAL HOURS past the employees scheduled shift. I was blatantly told by more than one manager/shift leader that I am expected to be there at my scheduled time and they will tell me when I can leave, no matter how long after my shift I have already worked, no matter I may have my kids to pick up or that it is already 3-5 hours past my shift and I have other responsibilities to meet so I can pay my bills.
d. No Benefits and no possibility for them
e. No possibility for advancement as a driver
f. No possibility of raises for drivers. In fact Papa John has now (09/2009) started paying drivers less based on the earned tips laws, allowing them to pay up to $3 less per hour if your tips show corresponding amounts earned.
g. A "locked in" workplace - if you are at the majority of their stores, the mis-managed ones, you are screwed because you are not able to transfer out to another store, no matter how much that other store may want you to come work there.
I work hard for any and every company I work for. It's a matter of personal pride and commitment to doing what I said I would do when I hired on. I am not asking for them to move mountains or for anything unreasonable, just to be treated fairly, something I have not seem from this company.