Did Herman Cain really turn around Godfather’s Pizza?

The Republican field for president includes the usual mix, professional politicians who have been governors, senator, or speaker of the House. Herman Cain stands out not only because he hasn’t held elective office, but because he used to sell pizza.

Pizza is Cain’s biggest selling point. He says his track record running Godfather’s Pizza, a chain that once billed itself as “the cure for the pizza emergency,” shows he has the ability to run the country. The 620-store chain was on the brink of bankruptcy when he arrived in 1986, he says, and he “turned it around with common-sense business principles.”

Our writer Angie Holan, a former business writer, dug into that claim and found he was largely correct. Her profile of his time at Godfather’s is an interesting tale about how he reinvigorated the sleepy chain.

You might also want to check out our fact-check of the claim from “anonymous GOP critics” that Commerce Secretary-nominee John Bryson supports a world government, a claim we rated False, and our recent fact-checks of DNC Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz, who has earned a couple of False ratings lately.

Also, if you want to keep tabs on New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, the Star-Ledger this morning launched PolitiFact New Jersey. Watch the site over the coming months for more Christie fact-checking.

We’ve got a busy summer ahead and some interesting announcements in the next two weeks, so keep checking back.

 
Have a great weekend.

Cheers,
Bill

— Bill Adair Editor, PolitiFact.com Washington Bureau Chief St. Petersburg Times