Bahrain continues to be a growing and strategically important market for the Papa John Pizza business, company founder John Schnatter said on a visit to the kingdom.

"Faisal Jawad and the Jawad Business Group have been outstanding partners with us not only in Bahrain, but throughout the Gulf," he said.

Jawad Business Group, the operator of Papa John's Pizza in Bahrain, Oman, Qatar and UAE, won the regional round of the worldwide competition of Pizza Games run by the global Papa John chain.

To mark the victory Schnatter was in the kingdom to award the winners of the challenge who represented Bahrain.

Experienced teams from Bahrain, Oman, Qatar and UAE participated in the regional final which was held at Papa John's Pizza's Khaldiya Mall outlet in UAE.

The focus of the competition was on excellence in making quality pizzas as quick as possible and keys to winning it were quality, focus and hustle.

The challenge called for real skill and dexterity from participants and was an overall showcase for the best of the best pizza makers and enthusiasts from around the world.

The winners at the regional level were Elvis Marshal Fernandes, restaurant general manager at Papa John's Nuwaidrat and Glendan Noronha, restaurant shift manager at Papa John's Arad.

"We can confidently state that Papa John's Pizza is the largest pizza chain in Bahrain," said Jawad Business Group chairman and chief executive officer Faisal Jawad.

"We have 45 outlets in the region now and 50 is around the corner," he added.

Created in 1984 in Indiana US, Schnatter's Papa John's Pizza began life out a broom closet in the back of his father's tavern.

He sold his prized car and bought himself used restaurant equipment to set up a pizza service for the tavern's customers, and the rest is history. – TradeArabia News Service