HOUSTON (Diya TV) — A Pakistani American entrepreneur who started as a pizza delivery driver now stands at the center of a major takeover bid for one of America’s biggest pizza chains.
Nadeem Bajwa, the largest franchisee of Papa John’s restaurants in the United States, has joined a Qatari-backed investor group seeking to acquire the company. The investor group, Irth Capital Management, has offered $47 per share to buy the pizza chain, according to reports.
Bajwa’s support could strengthen the bid because he owns and operates nearly 300 Papa John’s locations across the country. The investor group also has backing from Brookfield Asset Management. Reuters reported that Papa John’s is reviewing the proposal, though no deal has been finalized.
Bajwa’s rise reflects a familiar immigrant success story in the American restaurant business. He arrived in the United States alone in the early 1990s to attend college in Indiana. He had never traveled by plane before. In interviews, Bajwa described feeling anxious during his first flight to America. Still, he remained focused on building a better future.
He started working part-time as a delivery driver for Papa John’s in 1991 while attending school. Over the next three decades, he climbed through the ranks and built one of the largest fast-food franchise operations in the country. Today, Bajwa oversees hundreds of restaurants and employs thousands of workers across multiple states. His story has drawn attention as investors evaluate the future of the Louisville, Kentucky-based pizza chain.
Bajwa’s business success also became part of a political controversy in Pakistan several years ago. In 2020, Pakistani journalist Ahmad Noorani alleged that the Bajwa family’s business growth matched the political rise of retired Pakistani general Asim Saleem Bajwa, who served in senior government roles.
Noorani claimed that dozens of businesses linked to the Bajwa family operated under the Bajco Group umbrella. He suggested that the family’s expanding business interests deserved scrutiny. However, Noorani did not publicly provide direct evidence linking Nadeem Bajwa’s restaurant success in the United States to corruption in Pakistan. Supporters of the businessman argue that his rise follows a pattern seen among many South Asian immigrants who built large restaurant franchises through years of work and reinvestment.
Pakistani American entrepreneurs have become major players in the U.S. fast-food industry over the last several decades. Many immigrants entered the restaurant business through entry-level jobs before becoming franchise owners. Some later expanded into billion-dollar operations.
One of the best-known examples is Shoukat Dhanani, founder of the Dhanani Group in Sugar Land, Texas. The company operates one of the nation’s largest Burger King and Popeyes franchise networks. The Dhanani family built a business empire that generates more than $1 billion in annual revenue. Their success helped highlight the growing influence of Pakistani American franchise owners in the United States.
Another major figure is Tabassum Mumtaz, an alumnus of NED University of Engineering and Technology. Mumtaz began his career as a cook at Long John Silver’s restaurants before moving into ownership. He later became a leading franchise operator through Ampex Brands, managing restaurants for chains including KFC, Taco Bell, and A&W Restaurants.
His company also generates more than $1 billion in yearly revenue.
