LOUISVILLE Ky. Papa John's International and the Alpha Restaurant Group have formed a joint venture to open some 30 Papa John's restaurants in the Detroit market within the next six years. The agreement is structured as a joint venture, rather than a traditional franchise, with Papa John's providing partial ownership, management consulting and a marketing partnership, according to Nigel Travis, Papa John's president and chief executive. The companies plan to open up to four restaurants by year's end.
Alpha Restaurant Group is 100-percent owned and operated by a group of African American businessmen from metropolitan Detroit, Toledo and Cleveland, Ohio formed in 2004 to own and operate quick-service and fast-casual restaurants in Michigan, Ohio and Pennsylvania. The group 's mission is to give back to the inner cities where they grew up, provide jobs and training and contribute to a more viable business environment, said Paul Hubbard, Alpha president and chief executive.