Building a Better Pizza Business: Slice of Life January 2002

By Marianne King

Thanks to McDonald's, we've all heard of Hamburger University. But Pizza Polytechnic? Yes, you need proper training to operate a Papa John's Pizza franchise.

Founded in 1985 by John Schnatter, the company began with Schnatter selling pizzas from a converted broom closet in his father's tavern and now has more than 2,600 restaurants in 49 states and 10 international markets. The company also owns or franchises 200 Perfect Pizza Restaurants in Great Britain. To accommodate its tremendous growth, Papa John's Pizza relocated its headquarters from Jefferson, Ind., to its new 36-acre corporate headquarters at Blankenbaker Crossings in Louisville, Ky.

Since Papa John's growth comes primarily from franchising its operations (over 70 percent of its restaurants are operated by franchisees), the company wanted to be able to show prospective franchisers exactly how the restaurants were laid out. That's where Holloway Concrete Pumping of Middletown, Ky., entered the picture.

The Louisville campus included a headquarters building with an empty third floor designated to become a replica of a Papa John's Restaurant. Once the company was ready to create the restaurant, it was necessary to add a raised floor that would accommodate conduits for electricity and plumbing.

"Without a pump it would have been difficult to get the concrete up to the third floor," says Mark Holloway, owner of Holloway Concrete Pumping.

To reach the placement site, Holloway positioned a 52Z Putzmeister boom pump alongside the building. A 52-meter boom with its unique Multi-Z boom configuration was required for easy reach up to and then over the roof of the building. Then Holloway threaded the hose through a 12-inch airshaft on the roof and through the finished building to pump the new floor.

Approximately 12 cubic yards of concrete were provided for the job by Irving Materials, Inc., of Louisville.

"We used two sections of hose to reach the placement site," says Holloway. "The pump operator stood on the roof and kept in touch with the hose man via two-way radio."

The job, though relatively small, was a perfect example of how pumping made a logistically cumbersome job quick and simple.

"The project went perfectly," notes Holloway. "I don't see how they could have done it any other way."

JOB SPECS: General contractor: AML, Inc., Floyds Knobs, Ind. Pumping Contractor: Holloway Concrete Pumping, Middletown, Ky. Ready-mix supplier: Irving Materials, Inc., Louisville, Ky. Equipment: Putzmeister 52Z-Meter truck-mounted boom pump