Papa John's is confronting its crisis: Customers think it has a racism problem. 
 
 In a new ad, the pizza chain shows some of the furious messages it received after its founder blamed NFL protests for poor sales and later admitted using the N-word. 
 
 "Racism is disgusting and I won't support it," one person wrote. Another said that "blaming players for poor sales with dog whistle racism was a hack move." 
 
 Between the messages, words from the company appear on the screen. 
 
 "You expected better from Papa John's. So did we," the company writes. "Thank you for your honesty ... It is making us better." 
 
 Papa John's is struggling with declining sales, especially since founder John Schnatter was forced to resign as chairman in July, after his use of the slur came to light. 
 
 Schnatter has since said it was a mistake to resign, and is now attacking CEO Steve Ritchie in an apparent bid to regain control. 
 
 The ads recall those put out by Facebook (FB), Uber and Wells Fargo (WFC) after PR crises at those companies. All of those ads acknowledged customer concerns, although with varying degrees of directness. 
 
 The company has taken great pains to distance itself from Schnatter, removing his image from marketing materials, kicking him out of his office and trying to stop him from gaining more control of the company. 
 
 "The video produced by the Company represents another example of the Company attempting to hide the true facts," a spokesman for Schnatter said in a statement. He added that fans have called for Schnatter's return to the company. 
 
 Papa John's also announced Friday that it will roll out mandatory bias training for its workers. 
 
 Training will start in October at the corporate office and at corporate-owned stores, which make up about 20% of its the chain's US restaurants. The Papa John's leadership team finished their own training two weeks ago. 
 
 The program will include conversations about unconscious bias, racial and cultural sensitivity and managing bias. 
 
 In an open letter, Ritchie said Papa John's is also conducting an internal audit on diversity and inclusion practices, launching a program to support minority-owned franchises and starting a foundation focused on local communities. 
 
 Ritchie said he was "personally committed to adding more diversity to the leadership team of Papa John's." 
 
 Papa John's has hired Bank of America and Lazard to help stabilize the business, a source told CNNMoney on Friday. The source declined to give further details, and Bank of America and Lazard declined to comment. The news was reported earlier by Reuters. 
 
 Papa John's also seems to be following a similar playbook to that of Starbucks (SBUX), which mandated anti-bias training after two black men were arrested while waiting for a friend at a Philadelphia location. 
 
 Starbucks closed about 8,000 stores for an afternoon to conduct the elaborate training, which tapped the musician and activist Common as a virtual session leader and relied on the guidance of more than 30 experts. ||||| Buy Photo John Schnatter, founder of Papa John's Pizza (Photo: The Courier Journal file photo)Buy Photo 
 
 Attention Papa John's employees: Papa says he still loves you. 
 
 Escalating his battle with the company he founded, ousted Papa John’s chairman John Schnatter tells "fellow team members" in a full-page ad in Wednesday's Courier Journal that he misses them “more than words can express” and that “we will all get through this together.” 
 
 In the ad, which was placed by the firm handling Schnatter’s public relations, the founder of the world's third-largest pizza company says current managers “will not let me talk to you and this has been very difficult.” 
 
 The open letter to employees doesn’t specify whether Schnatter wants to return as chairman, but he tells them “you are the heart and soul of this company” and “in every minute of every day you are all in my thoughts and prayers.” 
 
 More coverage 
 
 ► John Schnatter on sales drop: Papa John's 'performs better with me' 
 
 ► The rise and fall of John Schnatter: His mouth was his own worst enemy 
 
 ► 'Papa John' Schnatter: Black people know 'I’m not a racist' 
 
 ►U of L is pulling Papa John's off Cardinal Stadium after N-word scandal 
 
 The ad also directs readers to a new website www.savepapajohns.com, on which he says: "The board wants to silence me. So this is my website, and my way to talk to you." 
 
 The site includes a letter from one of Schnatter's lawyers challenging the company's right to lock him out of the company's headquarters and another complaining that it has stopped subsidizing security at his Anchorage mansion. 
 
 In a statement, the company said: “Stakeholders, including customers, franchisees, employees, and investors, have expressed strong support for the actions we have taken to separate our brand from Mr. Schnatter. No matter what John does, he will not be able to distract from the inappropriate comments he made.” 
 
 Papa John's has about 1,200 employees in Louisville, including 650 in its corporate headquarters. Including workers at its franchises, it has about 120,000 employees worldwide. 
 
 Schnatter vowed earlier this month that he is “not going away and will continue to fight to do what’s best for the company and its employees, franchisees, shareholders and customers.” 
 
 He resigned from the board on July 11 after Forbes disclosed that he had used the N-word in a media training session in May, but he later said quitting was a mistake. He has sued the company seeking documents that detail what he calls the “heavy-handed” way the company has treated him. 
 
 The ad ramps up the conflict between Schnatter, who owns nearly 30 percent of the company and remains on its board, and the company’s management, including CEO Steve Ritchie, Schnatter's handpicked successor. Schnatter has since criticized Ritchie's performance and demanded his firing. 
 
 More coverage 
 
 ► 'Papa' John Schnatter says he was justified in actions against CEOs 
 
 ► Schnatter says he shouldn't have resigned from Papa John's 
 
 ► John Schnatter resigns from University of Louisville board of trustees 
 
 ► Papa John’s embattled CEO Steve Ritchie braces for fight: 'Pizza is my life' 
 
 An analyst who follows the pizza industry said the “ongoing drama” between Schnatter and management was “destroying shareholder value,'' while another said "a complete separation" of Schnatter from the business "is the right thing to do," though the founder is "digging in his heels." 
 
 Forbes reported Saturday that pictures of Schnatter have disappeared from corporate offices, including an image of his face painted on a ceiling. During an employee town hall on Aug. 14, Ritchie told employees that Schnatter requested the items be removed, Forbes reported. 
 
 Schnatter's missive to his former employees disputes that. 
 
 “This is not the case at all,” the ad says. “As you all know, Papa John’s is our life’s work and we will all get through this together, somehow, some way.” 
 
 The open letter closes with “Your Founder" and Schnatter’s first name. 
 
 Terry Fahn, a Schnatter spokesman who works for Sitrick and Company, the Los Angeles-based firm retained by Schnatter, would not comment on the ad. Nor would Fahn say what Schnatter hopes to accomplish with it. 
 
 The ad does not address Schnatter's remarks during a training session. He has said he didn't use the N-word as a slur and that his remarks were taken out of context. 
 
 More coverage 
 
 ► Papa John's can't remove John Schnatter from board right away 
 
 ► Papa John's estimates $30 million to $50 million cost this year from crisis 
 
 ► Vowing to fight Papa John's, Schnatter hires Harvey Weinstein's lawyer 
 
 ► After racial slur revealed, fall comes swiftly for Papa John Schnatter 
 
 Even before Schnatter stepped down as chairman, he was in a pitched battle with management over the company’s direction and his role as brand spokesman. 
 
 Ritchie, who was elevated to CEO on Jan. 1, blamed Schnatter for causing sales to plummet last November when Schnatter blamed sagging sales on the NFL’s handling of player protests during the national anthem. 
 
 Ritchie told analysts earlier this month that Schnatter’s comments were “inexcusable and irresponsible” and repairing the damaged brand could cost as much as $50 million. 
 
 The president of the Papa John's Franchise Association, Vaughn Frey, also said it's time for Schnatter to move on. 
 
 But Schnatter counters, saying that Papa John’s earnings began to fall before the NFL controversy — when Ritchie was in charge of the company’s day-to-day operations. 
 
 Papa John's stock (Nasdaq: PZZA) closed at $42.92 per share Tuesday, down from a high of $80.80 exactly a year ago. 
 
 Andrew Wolfson: 502-582-7189; awolfson@courier-journal.com; Twitter: @adwolfson. Support strong local journalism by subscribing today: www.courier-journal.com/andreww 
 
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 Read or Share this story: https://www.courier-journal.com/story/news/2018/08/21/john-schnatter-publishes-open-letter-papa-johns-employees/1053597002/ ||||| John Schnatter, who founded the Papa John's pizza chain in the 1980s, is leaving the chief executive seat. 
 
 He'll stay on with the company as its chairman, the company said Thursday in a press release. Replacing him is Steve Ritchie, the current chief operating officer. The change will take effect on January 1, the company said. There was no reason given for the change in leadership. 
 
 The shakeup comes after a string of public relations debacles and slumping sales. 
 
 Papa John's is a major NFL sponsor, and Schnatter wasn't shy about sharing his thoughts about players who took a knee during the national anthem to protest the treatment of black Americans, particularly by police. 
 
 President Trump earlier this year publicly criticized players who chose to kneel, ratcheting up the controversy. 
 
 "This should have been nipped in the bud a year and a half ago," Schnatter said on a conference call with investors in November. "The controversy is polarizing the customer, polarizing the country." 
 
 During the call, he also blamed the controversy for dismal sales. 
 
 Related: Papa John's says it didn't mean to be 'divisive' on NFL protests 
 
 Backlash ensued on social media and his remarks were criticized by those who argue the players are exercising free speech and should be permitted to do so. Late-night comics lampooned Schnatter. 
 
 And, adding to the ordeal, the white supremacist website Daily Stormer floated the idea that Papa John's was the "official pizza of the alt-right." 
 
 That forced the Louisville, Kentucky-based Papa John's to issue a clarifying statement asserting, "We condemn racism in all forms," according to the Courier-Journal. 
 
 About two weeks after Schnatter made his controversial comments, the company attempted an apology on Twitter. 
 
 Related: Papa John's says NFL protests are hurting sales 
 
 "The statements made on our earnings call were describing the factors that impact our business and we sincerely apologize to anyone that thought they were divisive," the tweet read. "That definitely was not our intention." 
 
 The pizza chain said that it supports "the players' movement to create a new platform for change" but that it also believes that "as Americans, we should honor our anthem." 
 
 "We will work with the players and league to find a positive way forward. Open to ideas from all. Except neo-nazis," the company tweeted, offering a "middle finger" emoji to "those guys." 
 
 Papa John's has also faced waning sales recently. The company's stock price is down more than 30% so far this year. 
 
 Ritchie, Schnatter's replacement, joined Papa John's as a customer service rep in 1996 making $6 per hour. He went on to own a Papa John's franchise, and in 2014 he was promoted to chief operating officer. 
 
 --CNNMoney's Ahiza Garcia and Rob McLean contributed to this report.
– "I'd rather have frozen pizza than racist pizza." So reads a customer tweet about Papa John's, and it's not one the pizza company is shying away from. Quite the contrary, the message is highlighted in the chain's first new ad since John Schnatter was forced to resign last month over his use of the n-word. In the 65-second ad posted to social media Friday, a series of angry tweets are displayed, then the words, "You expected better from Papa John's. So did we." Then, after showing more tweets, the words "Thank you for your anger" appear. That last word is subsequently replaced with "criticism" and "honesty." "It is making us better." CEO Steve Ritchie also posted extensive comments on Twitter, which you can read here, and a letter to customers, which you can read here. CNN reports the company plans to hold mandatory bias training sessions beginning in October at its company-owned stores and is going live with a minority-owned franchise expansion and development program. The ad certainly hasn't abated Schnatter's anger. A rep for the former CEO had this to say, per CNBC: "The video produced by the company represents another example of the company attempting to hide the true facts. It omits the avalanche of comments made by customers, employees, and others who support John Schnatter and feel that the company is wrong."