Pizza Hut

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Pizza Hut

Type Wholly owned subsidiary

Industry Restaurants
Founded Wichita, Kansas (1958)
Founder(s) Dan and Frank Carney
Headquarters Addison, Texas, U.S.
David C. Novak, Chairman
Key people
Scott Bergren, President
Italian-American cuisine
Products
pizza · pasta · desserts
Employees 30,000+
PepsiCo (1977–1997)
Parent
Yum! Brands (1997–present)
Website Pizzahut.com

Pizza Hut (corporately known as Pizza Hut, Inc.) is an American restaurant chain
and international franchise that offers different styles of pizza along with side dishes
including pasta, buffalo wings, breadsticks, and garlic bread.

Pizza Hut is a subsidiary of Yum! Brands, Inc. (the world's largest restaurant
company[1]) with approximately 34,001 restaurants, delivery/carry-out locations, and
kiosks in 100 countries.

Currently based in Addison, Texas[2] (a northern suburb of Dallas), Pizza Hut is

relocating its headquarters to Legacy Office Park in nearby Plano when the lease on
its current building, which it has occupied since 1995, expires on December 31, 2010.
[3][4]

Contents
[hide]

• 1 Concept and format

• 2 History
• 3 Products
• 4 Advertising
o 4.1 Pasta Hut
 4.1.1 United Kingdom
 4.1.2 Costa Rica
 4.1.3 Southeast Asia
o 4.2 Sponsorship
o 4.3 Book It!
o 4.4 Nutrition
• 5 Global locations
o 5.1 Countries formerly with Pizza Hut
restaurants
• 6 References

• 7 External links

[edit] Concept and format

Pizza Hut is split into several different restaurant formats; the original family-style
dine-in locations; store front delivery and carry-out locations; and hybrid locations
that offer carry-out, delivery, and dine-in options. Many full-size Pizza Hut locations
offer lunch buffet, with "all-you-can-eat" pizza, salad, bread sticks, and a special
pasta. Additionally, Pizza Hut also has a number of other business concepts that are
different from the store type; Pizza Hut "Bistro" locations are "Red Roof"s which
offer an expanded menu and slightly more upscale options.

Pizza Hut store (with distinctive roof) in Athens, Ohio typical of U.S. Pizza Hut
restaurants
"Pizza Hut Express" and "The Hut" locations are fast food restaurants. They offer a
limited menu with many products not found at traditional Pizza Huts. These type of
stores are often paired in a colocated location with a sibling brand such as Wing
Street, KFC or Taco Bell, and are also found on college campuses, food courts, theme
parks, and in stores such as Target.

[edit] History

The plaque on the first Pizza Hut building which was sometimes seen on the box. It
was shown from 1970 to 1985.
Main article: History of Pizza Hut

Pizza Hut was founded in 1958 by brothers Dan and Frank Carney in their hometown
of Wichita, Kansas.[5] When a friend suggested opening a pizza parlor, they agreed
that the idea could prove successful, and they borrowed $600 from their mother to
start a business with partner John Bender.[citation needed] Renting a small building at 503
South Bluff in downtown Wichita and purchasing secondhand equipment to make
pizzas, the Carneys and Bender opened the first "Pizza Hut" restaurant; on opening
night, they gave pizza away to encourage community interest. They chose the name
"Pizza Hut" since the sign they purchased only had enough space for nine characters
and spaces.[6] Additional restaurants were opened, with the first franchise unit opening
in 1959 in Topeka, Kansas. The original Pizza Hut building was later relocated to the
Wichita State University campus.[7]

Pizza Hut's prototype version of a restaurant (1958–1961) at Wichita State University.

This was only used at four prototype Pizza Hut locations. There are only a few menu
items on this version.

Dan and Frank Carney soon decided that they needed to have a good standard image.
The Carney brothers contacted Wichita architect Richard D. Burke, who designed the
distinctive mansard roof shape and standardized layout, hoping to counter competition
from Shakey's Pizza, a chain that was expanding on the west coast.[8] The franchise
network continued to grow through friends and business associates, and by 1964 a
unique standardized building appearance and layout was established for franchised
and company-owned stores, creating a universal look that customers easily
recognized.

By 1972, with 314 stores nationwide, Pizza Hut went public on the New York Stock
Exchange under the stock ticker symbol NYSE: PIZ. In 1978, Pizza Hut was acquired
by Pepsico, who later also bought KFC and Taco Bell. In 1997, the three restaurant
chains were spun off into Tricon, and in 2001 joined with Long John Silver's and
A&W Restaurants to become Yum! Brands. The oldest continuously operating Pizza
Hut in the world is in Manhattan, Kansas, in a shopping and tavern district known as
Aggieville near Kansas State University.

Traditionally, Pizza Hut has been known for its ambiance as much as pizza. Vintage
"Red Roof" locations can be found throughout the United States, and quite a few exist
in the UK and Australia. Even so, many such locations offer delivery/carryout service.
This building style was common in the 1960s and 1970s. The name "Red Roof" is
somewhat anachronistic now, since many locations have brown roofs. Dozens of "Red
Roofs" have closed or been relocated/rebuilt. Many "Red Roof" branches have beer if
not a full bar, music from a jukebox, and sometimes an arcade. In the 1980s, the
company moved into other successful formats including delivery/carryout and the fast
food "Express" model.

[edit] Products

Pizza Hut in Santiago, Chile.

Pizza Hut sells "Stuffed Crust" pizza, with the outermost edge wrapped around a coil
of mozzarella cheese; "Hand-Tossed," more like traditional pizzeria crusts; "Thin 'N
Crispy", a thin, crispy dough which was Pizza Hut's original style; "Dippin' Strips
pizza", a pizza cut into small strips that can be dipped into a number of sauces; and
"The Edge pizza," where the toppings nearly reach to the edge of the pizza. There was
also formerly a crust that was not as thick as Pizza Hut's pan pizza, and not as thin as
its thin crust. This crust was used on the Full House XL pizza and discontinued in
2007.[9]

Pizza Hut experiments with new products frequently, with less successful ones being
discontinued. These include the initially popular two-foot by one-foot square cut pizza
Bigfoot, the 16" Big New Yorker, made with a sweet sauce, the Chicago Dish Pizza
and Sicilian pizza, the latter also offered in 2006 as Lasagna Pizza. Other products
Pizza Hut has offered are the "P'zone", Pizza Hut's version of the calzone; the Cheesy
Bites pizza, similar to the Stuffed Crust pizza except the crust has been divided into
28 bite-sized pieces that can be pulled apart; and the Insider pizza, where a layer of
cheese is in between two layers of dough. Another limited time offer was a Double
Deep pizza with double the toppings and 50% more cheese, with the crust wrapped
over the top to hold in all the toppings. In 1985 Pizza Hut introduced the Priazzo,[10] a
two-crusted Italian pie that resembled a deep-dish pizza. Varieties included Priazzo
Milano, a blend of Italian sausage, pepperoni, beef, pork fillings, a hint of bacon,
mozzarella and cheddar cheese; Priazzo Florentine, a light blend of five cheeses with
ham and a touch of spinach, and Priazzo Roma, stuffed with pepperoni, mushrooms,
Italian sausage, pork filling, onions, mozzarella and cheddar cheese. The double-
crusted pie was topped with a layer of tomato sauce and melted cheese. The Priazzo
was introduced by a $15 million advertising campaign, but proved too labor-intensive
and was removed from the menu several years later.

Buffalo wings

Depending on the individual restaurant size, Pizza Huts also may offer pasta dinners
such as spaghetti and Cavatini – a mixture of Cavatelli (shells), Rotini (spirals), and
Rotelle (wheels).

Pizza Hut Bistro concept location located in Indianapolis.

A new, upscale concept was unveiled in 2004, called Pizza Hut Italian Bistro.
Unveiled at fifty locations nationwide, the Bistro is similar to a traditional Pizza Hut,
except that new, Italian themed dishes are offered, such as penne pasta, chicken
pomodoro, toasted sandwiches and other foods.[11] Instead of black, white, and red,
Bistro locations feature a burgundy and tan motif.[12] Pizza Hut Bistros still serve the
chain's traditional pizzas and sides as well. In some cases, Pizza Hut has replaced a
"Red Roof" location with the new concept.

A new version of Pizza Hut pizza, named Pizza Mia which is lightly topped, was
introduced in 2007. The product is aimed at the cost sensitive consumer segment and
is priced similarly to the Domino's 555 deal, where each pizza is priced at five dollars
if purchased in bulk of three or more. In comparison, a Pizza Hut medium sized,
hand-tossed pepperoni pizza is internationally priced at $10.24 (Dallas, Texas
1/1/2009). The Pizza Mia comes in only one size (medium) and extra toppings range
from $1.25 to $1.49. One slice of Pizza Hut pepperoni Pizza Mia weighs 83 grams,
while one slice of Pizza Hut pepperoni hand-tossed pizza weighs 96 grams.[13]

Pizza Hut on May 9, 2008, created and sold in Seattle, Denver, and Dallas, "The
Natural", a new all-natural multi-grain crust sweetened with honey, a red sauce of
organic tomatoes and topped all-natural cheese (or with all-natural chicken sausage
and roasted red peppers). A medium Natural pizza with one topping sold for $9.99.
This was discontinued on October 27, 2009 in the Dallas market.[14] It has since
launched a nationwide advertising campaign. Also in 2008, Pizza Hut created their
biggest pizza ever, the Panormous Pizza. Pizza Hut introduced the Big Eat Tiny Price
Menu on June 21, 2009. It features new Pizza Rolls, the P'Zone Pizza, new Personal
Panormous Pizza, and the Pizza Mia Pizza, each item starting at $5.00 or $5.99.

Pizza Hut introduced stuffed pan pizza on August 23, 2009 with $10.99 for one
toppings and specialty for $13.99. Unlike regular stuffed crust cheese is not inside the
crust, just pressed into the pan crust. Pizza Hut introduced the Big Italy, a pizza that is
almost two feet long for $12.00, on August 22, 2010.

Pizza Hut recently (2010) came under fire when its supplier of palm oil, Sinar Mas,
was exposed to be illegally slashing and burning the Paradise Forests of Indonesia to
plant palm oil plantations.[15] This act is driving native people off their land and
forcing orangutans and Sumatran tigers to the brink of extinction.

[edit] Advertising

Long-time/former Pizza Hut logo (1970s–1999). Many older locations started with an
earlier 1965 logo but were soon upgraded. Some locations still use this logo.

Pizza Hut's very first ad was "Putt Putt to Pizza Hut". It starts with a man apparently
ordering take-out and driving his 1965 Mustang JR to Pizza Hut, while some of the
townspeople start chasing him. He picks up his pizza and goes to his house, when all
of the people who were chasing him start eating all the pizza except the man who
ordered it. Frustrated, he calls Pizza Hut again.

Until early 2007, Pizza Hut's main advertising slogan was "Gather 'round the good
stuff", and was "Now You're Eating!" from 2008 to 2009. The advertising slogan is
currently "Your Favorites. Your Pizza Hut." Pizza Hut does not have an official
international mascot, but at one time, there were commercials in the United States
called 'The Pizza Head Show.' These commercials ran from 1993 to 1997 and were
based loosely on the Mr. Bill shorts from Saturday Night Live in the 1970s. The ads
featured a slice of pizza with a face made out of toppings called 'Pizza Head'. In the
1970s Pizza Hut used the signature red roof with a jolly man named "Pizza Hut Pete".
Pete was on the bags, cups, balloons and hand puppets for the kids. In Australia
during the Mid to late 1990s, the advertising mascot was a delivery boy named
Dougie, with boyish good looks who, upon delivering pizza to his father, would hear
the catchphrase "Here's a tip: be good to your mother".

Pizza Hut sponsored the 1989 film Back to the Future Part II, and offered a free pair
of futuristic sunglasses, known as "Solar Shades", with the purchase of Pizza Hut
pizza. Pizza Hut also engaged in product placement within the film itself, having a
futuristic version of their logo with their trademarked red hut printed on the side of a
mylar dehydrated pizza wrapper in the McFly family dinner scene, and appear on a
storefront in Hill Valley in the year 2015.[16]

The 1990 NES game Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Arcade Game, came with
a coupon for a free pizza. The game was filled with Pizza Hut advertising and pizza
that would refill the character's life.

In 1994, Donald Trump and ex-wife Ivana Trump starred in a commercial. The
ending of the commercial showed Ivana Trump asking for the last slice, to which
Donald replied, "Actually dear, you're only entitled to half", a play on the couple's
recent divorce.

In 1995, Ringo Starr starred in a Pizza Hut commercial which also featured The
Monkees. Rush Limbaugh also starred in a Pizza Hut commercial the same year,
where he boasts that "nobody is more right than me," yet he states that for the first
time he will do something wrong, which was to participate in Pizza Hut's then "eating
pizza crust first" campaign regarding their stuffed crust pizzas.

Talk show host Jonathan Ross, co-starred in an ad with American model, Caprice
Bourret. They were used to advertise the stuffed crust pizza, with Jonathan Ross
saying "Stuffed Cwust", to which is a play on Jonathan's pronunciation of 'R's.

Another UK ad shows British Formula One driver Damon Hill visit a Pizza Hut
restaurant and order a pizza, with famous F1 commentator Murray Walker visiting
with him, and narrating as though it was a Formula One race. As Hill is about to
finish his meal, Walker, in a play on Hill's 1994 & 1995 seasons where he was runner
up in the Formula One World Championship both won by Michael Schumacher,
shouts "And Hill finishes second, again!" at which Hill grabs Walker by his shirt and
shakes him angrily, Walker proclaiming, in his usual tones, "He's lost it! He's out of
control!"

Following England's defeat to Germany on penalties in the semi-finals of Euro 96,

Gareth Southgate, Stuart Pearce and Chris Waddle featured in an advert. The advert
shows Southgate wearing a paper bag over his head in shame as he was the one, who
missed the crucial penalty against the Germans. Waddle and Pearce, who both missed
penalty kicks in Italia 90 are ridiculing him, emphasising the word 'miss' at every
opportunity. After Southgate finishes his pizza he takes off his paper bag, heads for
the door and bangs his head against the wall. Pearce responds with, "this time he's hit
the post".

In 1997, former Soviet Union Premier Mikhail Gorbachev starred in a Pizza Hut
commercial to raise money for the Perestroyka Archives. In recent years, Pizza Hut
has had various celebrity spokespeople, including Jessica Simpson, the Muppets, and
Damon Hill and Murray Walker. Recent commercials have Queen Latifah providing
the voiceover. Also in 1997, Pizza Hut, reunited "greatest of all time boxer"
Muhammad Ali with trainer Angelo Dundee in a sentimental made for Super Bowl
commercial.

Pizza Hut sponsored the first space pizza delivery in 2001 to the International Space
Station (ISS), and paid for their logo to appear on a Russian Proton rocket in 2000,
which launched the Russian Zvezda module.[17]

In Australia, 2006 saw the introduction of a mascot in Pizza Hut's advertising – "Pizza
Mutt", a small dog who delivers pizzas. The mascot was dumped after just two ads.

Early 2007 saw Pizza Hut move into several more interactive ways of marketing to
the consumer. Utilizing mobile phone SMS technology and their MyHut ordering site,
they aired several television commercials (commencing just before the Super Bowl)
containing hidden words that viewers could type into their phones to receive coupons.
Other innovative efforts included their "MySpace Ted" campaign, which took
advantage of the popularity of social networking, and the burgeoning user-submission
marketing movement via their Vice President of Pizza contest.

Pizza Hut is also advertised in anime such as Code Geass, Maria-sama ga Miteru,
Darker Than Black and Toaru Kagaku no Railgun, though in the translated versions
of Code Geass the logo was removed, leaving only the red roof logo.

As of October 2009, Pizza Hut is advertising its WingStreet brand on a nationwide

basis, having met its internal requirement of 80% of stores having the product
available.

[edit] Pasta Hut

Pasta Hut logo (2008–present)

On April 1, 2008, Pizza Hut in America sent emails to customers advertising that they
now offer pasta items on their menu. The email (and similar advertising on the
company's website) stated "Pasta so good, we changed our name to Pasta Hut!"[18] The
name change was a publicity stunt held in conjunction with April Fools' Day,
extending through the month of April, with the company's Dallas headquarters
changing its exterior logo to Pasta Hut.[19] This name change was also used to promote
the new Tuscani Pasta line and new Pizza Hut dine-in menu. The first Pasta Hut
advertisement has the original Pizza Hut restaurant being imploded, and recreated
with a sign saying "Pasta Hut" placed on the building.
[edit] United Kingdom

Pizza Hut in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire.

In the United Kingdom, Pizza Hut announced it would be changing its name to Pasta
Hut in October 2008, six months after the US 'April Fool' trial.[20] This was announced
as being a temporary name change to reflect the chain's new emphasis on healthier
foods[20] On January 19, 2009, Pizza Hut announced that the Pasta Hut trial had ended
and that the names of all stores previously converted to Pasta Hut would be converted
back to Pizza Hut, following an online poll in which 81% chose to keep the Pizza Hut
name.[21] On the 7th December 2010 Pizza Hut issued an apology after two black
professional football players were asked to pay for their meal in advance of dining.
Company policy for is for customers to pay after dining. A group of white youths
were given preferential treatment.

[edit] Costa Rica

In Costa Rica, aside from the Pizza Hut restaurants, there is another brand called
"PHD - Pizza Delivered Hot by Pizza Hut." This brand is only for food courts at malls
and for express delivery. This was created to compete on the "fast food" market while
restaurants will concentrate in casual food.

[edit] Southeast Asia

New Pizza Hut logo that is in use in Southeast Asia

In Southeast Asia, aside from Pizza Hut restaurants, there is a subsidiary brand called
"PHD - Pizza Delivered Hot by Pizza Hut," only for food courts at malls and for
express delivery. Pizza varieties are changed to suit local tastes; pasta products with
similarly Asian tastes are also sold in Indonesia. In Singapore, Pizza Hut have sold a
baked rice dish called Curry Zazzle.[22][23]

[edit] Sponsorship

• In the early 1990s, as part of PepsiCo's sponsorship of The NewsHour

with Jim Lehrer (and its former moniker, The MacNeil/Lehrer NewsHour),
Pizza Hut was included in the acknowledgment alongside Taco Bell and KFC,
which PepsiCo owned at the time.
 • In 2000, Pizza Hut was a part-time sponsor of Galaxy Motorsports' #75
Ford in the then NASCAR Winston Cup Series, driven by Wally Dallenbach
Jr.
• Pizza Hut was the shirt sponsor of English football club Fulham F.C.
for the 2001–02 season.
• Terry Labonte drove selected events with Pizza Hut as the primary
sponsor of his #44 car in 2005.
• Pizza Hut purchased the naming rights to Major League Soccer club
FC Dallas' stadium, Pizza Hut Park, prior to its opening in 2005.
• In March 2007, Pizza Hut partnered with Verizon Wireless to offer a
free LG mobile phone with the purchase of a Cheesy Bites Pizza.
• Pizza Hut is a sponsor of the Newcastle Vipers ice hockey team for the
2007/08 EIHL season in the UK.
• Pizza Hut is a sponsor of Children's Joy Foundation In The
Philippines.
• Pizza Hut Japan sponsored the anime Code Geass: Lelouch of the
Rebellion, with their mascot, Cheese-kun, making cameos throughout the
series.

[edit] Book It!

Pizza Hut has been a longtime sponsor of the "Book It!" program (started in 1984[24]),
which encourages reading in American and Australian schools. Those who read books
according to the goal set by the classroom teacher are rewarded with Pizza Hut
coupons good for a free Personal Pan Pizza or discounted menu items. In the late
1980s, Pizza Hut threw free pizza parties for classes if all students met their reading
goals. The program has been criticized by some psychologists on the grounds that it
may lead to overjustification and reduce children's intrinsic interest in reading.[25]
However, a study of the Pizza Hut program, Book It!, found that participation in the
program neither increased nor decreased reading motivation.[25] The program's 25th
anniversary was in 2009. Book It! in Australia ceased in 2002 when Pizza Hut in
Australia was removing its dine-in stores as Australians opt for take away pizza
instead of dine-in.

[edit] Nutrition

This section requires expansion.

In the UK, Pizza Hut has been criticized for the high salt content of its meals, some of
which were found to contain more than twice the daily recommended amount of salt
for an adult. The meats that consumers demand for pizza toppings (pepperoni,
sausage, bacon, etc.) are, likewise, salty and fatty meats.[26] There have also been
concerns raised over food production practices as due to the high level of frozen
produce being used.[citation needed]