Apology swamps Papa John's

09.05.2008 10:01 Shopping - Source: toledoblade.com

Lines were so long at one of the 86 stores in northern and central Ohio offering the deal for large, one-topping pizzas for 23 cents that police stood nearby to make sure people didn't get unruly.

In the Toledo area, police were called to break up fights and control crowds.

At the East Toledo store, 646 Main St. near Starr Avenue, three fights erupted among customers who were lined up for blocks. No arrests were made. The store manager estimated that the restaurant sold 300 of the 23-cent pizzas.

But all of the metro Toledo stores were closed by 5 p.m., either because they ran out of ingredients or because of traffic problems.

The area has eight Papa John's stores, including one in Lambertville.

The Louisville-based pizza company agreed to the 23-cent offer after a franchisee in Washington, D.C., made T-shirts calling professional basketball star LeBron James a "crybaby." The shirts referred to James' complaints about hard fouls during a playoff series that the Washington Wizards lost to the Cavaliers.

The 23-cent price of a pizza paid homage to James' jersey number. The special was offered at stores in the Toledo, Cleveland, Columbus, and Youngstown areas.

Tish Muldoon, a Papa John's spokesman, said the response to the one-day promotion was overwhelming.

"I think in these economic times, it really is a great idea," she said. "Who isn't interested in a 23-cent pizza?"

In suburban Cleveland, people stood wrapped in blankets outside a store in Westlake, and the line was two blocks long in University Heights.

"I did it for the principle of it. The principle of it is he's not a crybaby and Papa's John should not have gotten into it," said Jennie Moore, 54, of University Heights.

The Cavaliers are playing the Boston Celtics in the second round of the playoffs.

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