The founder of Papa John's, John Schnatter, began his pizza career at Rocky's Sub Pub in Jeffersonville, Indiana, while attending Jeffersonville High School. Schnatter graduated from Jeffersonville High in 1980, and continued his association with the pizza business while attending Ball State University, working as a delivery driver for Greek's Pizzeria in Muncie. Upon graduating, he began working for his father, who was co-owner of the bar (Mick's Lounge) in Jeffersonville, Indiana. In 1984, he sold his car (a 1971 Chevrolet Camaro Z28) to buy out the other owner of the bar, and started serving pizza to customers.

Cain compares everything to his experience with pizza?

Well, Herman Cain's performance as CEO was rather dismal

when Cain took over as CEO in 1986 the chain had revenues of $272 million which were cut to $242 million after cost cutting measures reducing the number of stores to 563. At the end of his tenure as CEO, revenues were $265 million for 540 stores. That is revenue growth of 1%/year and same store sales growth of 1.6%. He didn't even keep pace with inflation.

A CEO who starts from nothing and builds a quarter billion business is definitely a big deal other executives want to learn from. A CEO who starts and ends in the same place after a decade in the job is not.

Again, building a company that size from scratch is quite the achievement. Merely running the show for eight years without growth is not. During Cain's tenure managing Godfather's for Pilsbury, the chain slipped from fourth place nationally to sixth. During his tenure as CEO of the private company it slipped to eighth.

In effect Cain merely moved sideways from his position as a mid level manager at Pilsbury running the Godfather's brand to essentially the same job in a private company. The rank CEO is totally meaningless, what matters is what you are CEO of.