(LOOTPRESS) – Numerous pizza chains are outperforming Pizza Hut, despite the brand’s long-running marketing slogan.
About 250 Pizza Hut locations are expected to close during the first half of 2026, according to officials with its parent company, Yum! Brands.
The closures represent roughly 3% of Pizza Hut’s locations nationwide and are tied to declining sales.
Company officials said during an earnings call Wednesday that the affected restaurants are considered “underperforming,” though they did not specify which locations will close.
The closures are connected to Pizza Hut’s “Hut Forward” program, which officials said will result in a global reduction of Pizza Hut locations and a projected 15% decline in profits. Yum! Brands Chief Financial Officer Ron Roy discussed the impact of the program during the earnings call.
The move is also part of a broader “strategic review” announced by Yum! Brands in November. That review could include a potential sale of Pizza Hut to another company.
Officials said no additional details about the review will be released until it is completed by the end of 2026.
“Pizza Hut’s performance indicates the need to take additional action to help the brand realize its full value, which may be better executed outside of Yum! Brands,” CEO Chris Turner said in a previous statement.
“To truly take advantage of the brand we’ve built and the opportunities ahead, we’ve made the decision to initiate a thorough review of strategic options.”
Yum! Brands owns approximately 20,000 Pizza Hut restaurants worldwide. Pizza Hut was founded in 1958 in Wichita by two brothers who borrowed $600 from their mother to open the first location.
