Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Maxx “The Condor” Crosby, left, is a minority equity owner in Doug Pak’s Las Vegas Papa Johns business. Pak, right, is a longtime franchisee with more than 70 Papa Johns stores, 19 of them in and around Las Vegas.
After nearly two decades in the restaurant business, Doug Pak said he needed a restart, something to get him excited again.
The longtime restaurant franchisee and CEO of BLD Ventures believes he found the answer in an engaging and talented 6-foot-5, 256-pound NFL defensive end known as The Condor. Pak, who owns 71 Papa Johns stores, brought in Las Vegas Raiders perennial Pro Bowl defensive end Maxx Crosby as a partner in his Las Vegas restaurants.
Crosby, said Pak, is a minority equity owner and marketing partner in Pak’s 19 Las Vegas locations. Crosby will make promotional appearances at Pak’s Vegas restaurants and lend his name to limited-time offers on pizzas in that market, with a percentage of the proceeds from those sales going to his local foundation.
Pak recently opened a new Papa Johns at 2400 South Rancho Drive in Las Vegas, just a few blocks from The Strip, and plans to open another location this month in North Las Vegas. Crosby, a fan favorite in Las Vegas whose nickname refers to his extraordinarily long wingspan, plans to participate in those and future store openings, said Pak.
“I’ve been a Papa Johns franchisee since 2006, so for a long time. I’ve experienced all the highs and lows the brand has gone through over the last 18 or so years, and partnering with Maxx has in many ways given me a new energy. I couldn’t be more excited about our future now,” said Pak, who wants to open 10 more Papa Johns and reach 30 restaurants in and around Las Vegas.
Crosby is already a visible part of Pak’s business. Papa Johns Las Vegas in November introduced the Maxx Crosby Special, a “Maxximize Your Pizza” deal, which includes two or more extra-large two-topping pizzas for $14.98 each. Papa Johns Las Vegas plans to launch other specials with its new NFL star partner a few times a year.
A portion of the proceeds from each Maxx Crosby Special sold will support the Maxx Crosby Foundation, a nonprofit established to promote youth health, wellness and community development in Las Vegas.
Perennial Pro Bowl defensive end Maxx Crosby is the face of the latest limited-time offer from Papa Johns, available at Las Vegas area locations.
Looking to life after football
“Being a part of something bigger than me and for the people of Las Vegas means a lot to me,” said Crosby, 27, one of the few bright spots on a disappointing Raiders team that entered this weekend’s action with a 2-10 record. Crosby, a co-captain who’s in his sixth season with the franchise, leads the Raiders with 7.5 sacks.
“Believing in the brand is obviously a huge part of it and being a part owner, I’ve always dreamed of so I’m super excited. For me, I know I can use my platform, my relationships in the community here to bring additional attention to the brand,” said Crosby, whose mother gave him the extra “X” in his first name because of his large birth weight of nearly 12 pounds.
Pak said he and Crosby first met during the Super Bowl earlier this year in Las Vegas. In the week leading up to the big game, Papa Johns, with help from Pak, held a promotional event where sweepstakes winners received $58,000 in cash along with a pizza that was delivered by an NFL player. Pak and Crosby, who rode together for one of the deliveries, developed an instant rapport, which led to them agreeing to a business partnership.
“As important as it is for players to prepare to be great on the field, it’s equally more important to be just as prepared for life after football,” said Crosby. “I’m not going to play in the NFL for 60 more years, but I can use my platform to build a foundation for my life after football.”
Although he wouldn’t go into much detail, Pak said he and Crosby are already talking about taking their partnership beyond the Papa Johns Vegas operation and potentially investing together in another franchise. He said they are exploring food and non-food concepts and aren’t ruling out launching their own brand.
“My experience is in QSR and some high-end restaurant concepts, but there are lots of other possibilities we’re looking at, too, and we’re hoping to announce something about it soon, probably by April,” Pak said.
Finding new energy
Meanwhile, there’s the Papa Johns Vegas business to attend to, which Pak said is holding its own despite what he called another “challenging year.” He said his restaurants are mostly performing at or above the systemwide average unit volume of $1.2 million.
Founded in 1984, Papa Johns ranks No. 21 on the Franchise Times Top 400 with 5,900 locations and global sales exceeding $5 billion.
Pak is no stranger to franchising. Along with his Papa Johns portfolio, which includes stores in North Carolina and Ohio and generates $80 million in revenue, he is a former multi-unit franchisee of Hardee’s and Asian concept Stir Crazy.
He said he exited those brands following the pandemic to focus exclusively on Papa Johns and his other business interests. He’s an investor in a number of startup ventures in various industries, including robotics and children’s services.
“Getting into Papa Johns was a great opportunity for me to build my business,” Pak said. “Now, with the new partnership with Maxx, I think it’s kind of given me sort of a new energy to regrow and rebuild my company.”