A state-of-the-art test kitchen is a huge part of the the 60,000-square-foot structure that Papa John's International Inc. is building for its new headquarters located in Atlanta's Three Ballpark Center at The Battery Atlanta, a news release said.

The chain currently resides in the home of the brand's controversial founder, John Schnatter, of Louisville, Kentucky. The move to Atlanta, however, will relocate marketing, communications, customer experience, operations, HR, diversity, equity and inclusion, communications, financial planning and analysis, investor relations and development function to Georgia. The company's IT, supply chain, accounting and legal teams will remain in Louisville, and the brand also has international headquarters office outside of London, in the United Kingdom.

Papa John' said it plans to add 200 jobs and will continue to expand positions in both Atlanta and Louisville over the next few years.

"Our new Atlanta headquarters is the outcome of a process we began in late 2019 as an investment in our long-term growth and delivers on our purpose, values, and strategic business priorities," President and CEO Rob Lynch, said in the release" We're excited to expand in Atlanta — a vibrant city that's home to several QSR brands and provides incredible access to a deep, diverse talent pool."

The Battery Atlanta, a 2 million square-foot mixed-use development at I-75 and I-285 with shopping, restaurants, hotels and residences, is also home to Comcast regional and thyssenkrupp North America.

"We are thrilled to welcome Papa John's to The Battery Atlanta where they will literally be at the intersection of the hottest office location in Metro Atlanta," Mike Plant, Braves Development Company president and CEO , said of the pizza chain's move to his company's property. "We are honored they chose Three Ballpark Center to house their new global headquarters and we look forward to a long partnership with their leadership team and employees."

Papa John's Chief People and Diversity Officer Marvin Boakye said the brand chose Atlanta for its international airport access and deep talent pool, among other features. The brand will spend time in Atlanta preparing for the transition and recruiting for a number of roles to fill over the coming months. The new headquarters on Circle 75 Parkway will be complete by next summer, along with what the company said are "related organizational change," though it did not specify what those were.

Papa John's has than 5,300 restaurants in 48 countries and territories.

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