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Season 3 Episode 14

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Papa Johns feat. Nick Stargu

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In this episode of Fine Dining: The Search for the Most Mediocre Restaurant in America:

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○ Part 1: From a broom closet in Indiana to viral garlic sauce bath bombs, Papa Johns has had one of the weirdest journeys in chain restaurant history. In this episode, I explore the story of America's youngest major pizza chain — the sauce that changed the industry, the man who ate 40 pizzas in 30 days, and how a slice of Papa Johns became the first physical purchase made with Bitcoin.

We’re talking about Shaq, lawsuits, racial slurs on conference calls, and a clock made of eagles. Yes, really. Comedian Nick Stargu joins me to talk everything Papa Johns!

Does Papa Johns have the most cursed origin story in pizza? Or is it just misunderstood?

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○ Part 2: We reviewed Papa Johns… in the lobby. One item at a time. On plastic chairs they dug out from the back.

Make no mistake, this branch of Papa Johns rules, but at the end of the day: it's still Papa Johns. After learning the ingredients now arrive in prepackaged plastic bags from an employee literally covered in something the company calls “dust,” we had to ask the big question: is Papa Johns objectively as good as Chili’s?

Joining me is comedian Nick Stargu, whose multimedia stand-up special "Why Won’t You Dance with Me?" is on YouTube. We talk pizza, dipping sauces, employee transparency, and we mess around with his electronic saxophone to blur my voice, whatever that means.

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Location: Burbank, CA

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Michael's Score:                                     2.48

Nick's Score:                                         3.74

Tchotchke of Mediocrity Score:        3.11

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Host: Michael Ornelas

Guest Hosts: Nick Stargu

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Music by: James McEnelly

Theme Song by: Gabe Alvarez

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Segment Transitions Voice by: Sandy Rose