Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Industry Restaurants
pizza · pasta · desserts
Employees 30,000+
Parent PepsiCo (1977–1997)
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
Pizza Hut is a subsidiary of Yum! Brands, Inc. (the world's largest restaurant company[2]) with approximately 34,000
Contents
[hide]
2 History
3 Products
4 Advertising
o 4.1 Pasta Hut
o 4.2 Sponsorship
o 4.3 Book It!
o 4.4 Nutrition
5 Global locations
6 References
7 External links
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) inAthens, 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
History
The plaque on the first Pizza Hut building which was sometimes seen on the box. It was shown from 1970 to 1985.
Pizza Hut was founded in 1958 by brothers Dan and Frank Carney in their hometown of Wichita, Kansas.[3] 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.
[4]
Additional restaurants were opened, with the first franchise unit opening in 1959 in Topeka, Kansas. The original
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.[6] 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
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 inManhattan,
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.
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.[7]
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,[8] 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
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.[9] Instead of black, white, and red, Bistro
locations feature a burgundy and tan motif.[10] 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.[11]
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.[12] 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
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.[13] This act is driving native
people off their land and forcing orangutans and Sumatran tigers to the brink of extinction.
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.
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. Billshorts
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.[14]
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
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"
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
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
Pizza Hut sponsored the first space pizza delivery in 2001 to the International Space Station (ISS), and paid for their
In Australia, 2006 saw the introduction of a mascot in Pizza Hut's advertising – "Pizza Mutt", a small dog who delivers
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 Geassthe 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
Pasta Hut
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!"[16] 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.[17] 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"
United Kingdom
after the US 'April Fool' trial.[18] This was announced as being a temporary name change to reflect the chain's new
emphasis on healthier foods[18] 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.[19]
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
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
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
In 2000, Pizza Hut was a part-time sponsor of Galaxy Motorsports' #75 Ford in the then NASCAR Winston
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,
In March 2007, Pizza Hut partnered with Verizon Wireless to offer a free LG mobile phone with the purchase
Pizza Hut is a sponsor of the Newcastle Vipers ice hockey team for the 2007/08 EIHL season in the UK.
Pizza Hut Japan sponsored the anime Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion, with their mascot, Cheese-
Book It!
Pizza Hut has been a longtime sponsor of the "Book It!" program (started in 1984[22]), 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.[23] However, a study of the Pizza Hut program, Book It!, found that participation in the program neither
increased nor decreased reading motivation.[23] 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.
Nutrition
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.[24] There have also been concerns
raised over food production practices as due to the high level of frozen produce being used.[citation needed]
Global locations
Afghanistan (NATO bases only) Hong Kong Peru
Gibraltar Palestine[note 1]
Greece Panama
Guyana Pakistan[note 1]
Grenada Paraguay
Guatemala
Honduras
Denmark (1994–2009)
Switzerland (1988–2004)
Austria (1996–2003)
References
1. ^ "BRIEFS". Retrieved 01-18-11. "About 500 corporate employees of Pizza Hut Inc. and Yum Restaurants
International are leaving their old digs in Addison this week for a new headquarters in Plano. Today, the
workers will be settling into the new headquarters on 20 acres in the Legacy Business Park near Corporate
2. ^ "Yum Homepage".
3. ^ http://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/Pizza-Hut-Inc-Company-History.html
4. ^ "Pizza Hut web site - about the company".[dead link]
5. ^ "Original Pizza Hut - Wichita State University Campus Tour".
6. ^ Wasson, Andrew. "Who Designed the Roof". Dairy River.
7. ^ "PizzaHut.com — Menu".
8. ^ Schoifet, Mark (1985). "Pizza Hut kicks off $15M Priazzo campaign". Nation's Restaurant News.
9. ^ "Pizza Hut licensee opens 'italian bistro' concept". Nation's Restaurant News. April 4, 2005.
10. ^ Jean Le Boeuf (March 9, 2007). "Three tomatoes to a capable Pizza Hut 'Bistro'".
11. ^ "Pizza Mia, Ingredient Statements" (PDF).
12. ^ "in.Reuters.com, Pizza Hut rolling out all-natural pizza". May 10, 2008.
13. ^http://www.greenpeace.org/international/Global/international/publications/forests/2010/Sinar-Mas-Pulping-
The-Planet.pdf
14. ^ "YouTube - Pizza Hut commercial with Back to the Future theme".
15. ^ "Pitching products in the final frontier". CNN. June 13, 2001. Retrieved May 22, 2010.
16. ^ "Pasta Hut Is The New Name For Pizza Hut".
17. ^ "Pizza Hut renaming itself Pasta Hut for April Fool's.". Chicago Tribune.
18. ^ a b Pizza Hut has changed...its name to Pasta Hut - Pizza Hut press release, 06 Oct 2008
19. ^ "Customers vote for Pizza Hut". Pizza Hut UK Ltd. Retrieved 2009-06-05.
20. ^ "Delicious Pizza Hut Parchment Pasta". singapore-restaurant.com.
21. ^ "Baked Rice". pizzahut.com.sg.
22. ^ "PizzaHut.com — Our Story".
23. ^ a b Flora, S. R., & Flora, D. B. (1999). Effects of extrinsic reinforcement for reading during childhood on
reported reading habits of college students. Psychological Record, 49, 3–14.
24. ^ "Fast food salt levels 'shocking'". BBC News. October 18, 2007. Retrieved January 6, 2010.
1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w Considered to be halal
2. ^ Opened in 2009
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