For those who have been hearing rumors about a popular pizza chain coming to Russellville, the rumors have been confirmed.

Papa John’s is coming to town.

The popular pizza chain will be moving in to the building that formerly housed the Long Lewis dealership on U.S. 43 in Russellville.

Todd Allen, owner of the franchise coming to Russellville, said they have set a projected date of May 1 as opening day for the new pizza restaurant.

“We are excited about being in Russellville and are getting everything in order to hopefully open by May 1,” Allen said.

“We plan on having all hands on deck for the grand opening to make it go as smoothly as possible.”

Allen, who owns two other Papa John’s franchises in Harvest and Arab, said when he was looking at opening another franchise, he really believed the Franklin County market area would be ideal.

“I think Russellville is a fantastic market and we are looking forward to serving this city and the surrounding area,” he said.

“I think we offer a top-notch pizza experience that the people of Russellville will appreciate.

“The motto for Papa John’s is ‘Better Ingredients. Better Pizza.’ and we are committed to that motto and to offering the highest quality of pizza.

“One thing that sets us apart is that all of our ingredients are fresh and not frozen. We have trucks that come in twice a week to deliver fresh ingredients, and we also offer 100 percent real cheese and not a cheese blend.”

Allen said he also planned to bring a few unique things to his Russellville franchise, such as the quality of staff.

“Something that is a requirement for any of my franchises is a staff that is clean cut, professional and customer service-oriented,” he said.

“I really try to pay attention to the details, and I think having a high caliber staff is important to having a successful establishment.”

Allen said he was also going to be doing something completely different at the Russellville location that he felt customers would appreciate.

“The pizza business is a coupon-based business,” he said. “I would say 99 percent of people who order a pizza are ordering with a coupon because you get a better price.

“The only problem is, people sometimes miss out on getting the exact kind of pizza they want because they are locked in to a certain deal or special offered with the coupon.

“What I plan to do in Russellville is take a new approach. All of our regular menu prices will be the coupon prices. This way, our customers won’t have to worry about waiting for coupons to come out, having to order a certain thing, or never knowing what something will be priced.

“Customers will get exactly what they want for a good price, every time.”

Allen also said he planned to market the PapaJohns.com website because of its convenience and customer service.

“The website is great because once you create an account, you can save your orders to make future orders faster and simpler,” he said. “You can also earn rewards, like free pizza.”

Russellville Mayor David Grissom said he was happy to have a new business coming into town.

“I am excited to have Todd and Papa John’s here in Russellville,” Grissom said.

“I know they will provide a top-quality service for our citizens, and we look forward to having them as part of our team.”

Allen said they would soon be hiring regular shift workers but they are currently only taking applications from those who are interested in management positions, with a special emphasis on those who could serve as a bi-lingual shift manager.

Anyone interested in those positions can e-mail a resume to employment@ironmanpizza.com.