Hunt Brothers replaces Papa John’s as official pizza of Rupp Arena

Hunt Brothers Pizza will be the official pizza of Rupp Arena and its concession stands beginning this fall, Lexington Center announced Wednesday.

Pizza Wholesale of Lexington, a founding distributor of Hunt Brothers Pizza with offices in Bourbon County, holds the new three-year contract. Pizza Wholesale serves a little fewer than half of the Hunt Brothers locations.

Hunt Brothers pizza replaces Papa John’s Pizza, which has its headquarters in Jeffersontown, near Louisville.

“The agreement with Papa John’s expired,” Sheila Kenny, director of marketing and communications for Lexington Center Corporation, said in an email. “They evidently did not wish to renew as they did not respond to our Request for Proposal for a supplier.”

The University of Louisville football stadium is named the Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium. But founder John Schnatter also has ties to the University of Kentucky, where his John Schnatter Family Foundation donated $8 million in 2015 for a free enterprise institute. Schnatter also has naming rights for the central atrium in UK’s newly remodeled business college.

At UK’s Commonwealth Stadium, two Papa John’s pizza stands remain, according to Aramark, which oversees UK food service.

Hunt Brothers cheese pizza and pepperoni pizza will be offered as Hunk A Pizza, which is a quarter of a large pizza, at six Rupp concession locations on the main and upper concourses at the arena.

Hunt Brothers Pizza has more than 7,300 locations in 29 states serviced through distributors including Pizza Wholesale of Lexington. Hunt Brothers Pizza is the top pizza brand in convenience stores nationwide.

This story was originally published September 8, 2016 at 3:37 PM with the headline "Hunt Brothers replaces Papa John’s as official pizza of Rupp Arena."