The Papa John's restaurant franchise was founded in 1984 when "Papa" John Schnatter knocked out a broom closet in the back of his father's tavern and sold his prized 1972 Z28 Camaro to purchase $1,600 worth of used pizza equipment. He began selling pizzas to the tavern's customers out of the converted closet, and his pizzas proved so popular that only one year later he was able to move into an adjoining space. He didn't stop there, however, and by 2005, he had opened nearly 3,000 Papa John's restaurants in the United States and 20 international markets.