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Delivery Driver Turned Franchisee Builds Multimillion-Dollar Pizza Empire
27 Aug
Summary
- Nadeem Bajwa transitioned from delivery driver to area manager at Papa John's
- Bajwa opened his first Papa John's store in 2002 with family support and bank loans
- Bajwa kept costs low by using used equipment and doing much of the labor himself
In 2025, Nadeem Bajwa's remarkable journey from a Papa John's delivery driver to a successful franchisee continues to inspire. Bajwa, who is now in his early 50s, has built a multimillion-dollar pizza empire through his Bajco Group, which he co-founded with his brothers Faisal Bajwa and Abdul Malik Bajwa.
Bajwa's rise through the ranks at Papa John's was swift. By the time he graduated from university in 1996, he had already transitioned from being a delivery driver to an area manager. After graduation, Bajwa applied for corporate roles, but he couldn't find a job that would pay him more than what he was already making at Papa John's. Deciding to stay in the pizza business, Bajwa went on to run multiple stores before becoming a franchisee himself.
In July 2002, with the help of family support and bank loans, Bajwa opened his first Papa John's store in East Liverpool, Ohio. To keep costs low, he used used equipment and did much of the labor himself, spending the majority of his funds on marketing. The cost for the buildout of his first store was around $150,000.
