Papa Johns CFO Confronts Racist Social Media Storm Following Major Restaurant Closure Announcement
In a troubling development that has shifted focus from corporate strategy to personal attacks, Papa Johns' Indian-origin Chief Financial Officer Ravi Thanawala has become the target of vicious racist trolling on social media platforms. This backlash erupted immediately after the pizza chain announced plans to shutter 300 underperforming restaurants across North America by the end of 2027 during their Thursday earnings call.
Corporate Restructuring Met With Hateful Personal Attacks
The company's strategic decision to close locations that "are not meeting brand expectations or lack a clear path to sustainable financial improvement" has been overshadowed by a wave of racially charged comments directed specifically at Thanawala. Despite his clear explanation that affected restaurants would be those where sales could be effectively transferred to nearby locations, social media users have chosen to attack his ethnicity rather than discuss the business rationale.
"Put Indian in charge of Finances. Company starts going belly up. Everything they touch turns to s**t," wrote one particularly hateful commenter. Another added, "Hire a J**t, your company can't compete," while a third user speculated, "I wonder how many fake degrees he bought to get that position."
Customer Experience Complaint Takes Racial Turn
The racist sentiment extended beyond direct attacks to include customer service complaints framed through a racial lens. One customer shared an experience that quickly devolved into ethnic stereotyping: "Called the local PJ's the other day. It's been open about 7-8 months. Was going to do a take out on way home. Wanted to know how long was the wait for a carry out. Had to hit the keypad 4-5 times before I got a person. Was not a native English speaker. Sounded India. I hung up."
Thanawala's Impressive Career Trajectory
What makes the racist attacks particularly baseless is Thanawala's distinguished professional background. The executive joined Papa Johns as CFO in 2023 and was promoted to CFO and Executive Vice President of International operations in 2024. His responsibilities expanded significantly in November 2025 when he assumed the dual role of CFO and President of North American operations.
Remarkably, Thanawala served as the company's Interim CEO from March to August 2024, demonstrating the board's confidence in his leadership capabilities. Prior to his tenure at Papa Johns, he built an impressive resume that includes serving as CFO of Nike North America and spending eight years at ANN, where he eventually became CFO of the ANN business, a subsidiary of Ascena Retail Group.
Broader Implications for Corporate Leadership Diversity
This incident highlights the persistent challenges faced by executives of color in corporate America, where business decisions made for legitimate financial reasons can be unfairly attributed to racial or ethnic backgrounds. The attacks on Thanawala occur despite his proven track record of success across multiple major corporations and his rapid ascent within Papa Johns' leadership structure.
The company's closure announcement represents a strategic effort to strengthen the brand's North American footprint by eliminating underperforming locations, a common practice in the competitive restaurant industry. However, the racist backlash against Thanawala demonstrates how such routine business decisions can become platforms for prejudice when leadership includes diverse representation.
