Talk:Pizza Hut

Terminology

Having worked at Pizza Hut for three years, I can tell you just from reading the opening paragraph that there is a lot of incorrect and misleading information. I'm not a huge fan of the company (they've been slashing benefits and tightening the financial purse strings) but I think accurate information is necessary. There are actually four types of Pizza Huts, not just restaurants and Expresses (the Express term is completely misused). "Red Roofs" are dine-in locations which have no delivery capability; some of these are also upper-scale "Bistro" or "wingstreet" locations. RBD's are Restaurant-Based Delvieries, which do deliver but also have dine-in capability. DELCO's, or Delivery/Carryout stores (which may be multibranded with Taco Bell/KFC/A&W/LJS), are confused here with Expresses. Expresses are licensed locations operated on a more fast food basis, such as on college campuses or inside a number of Target locations. They offer a COMPLETELY different line of products from regular pIzza Huts and are not operated by PHI. Calling all non-dine-in's "Expresses" is completely misleading. Also, Wingstreets are unique to PH; it's not a YUM brands concept, it's a Pizza Hut program designed to increase wing selection at WS locations. I edited the article to correct these innaccuracies.

70.179.91.59 (talk) 15:47, 21 August 2008 (UTC)

All natural

I added this new one: Pizza Hut on May 9, 2008, created and sold in Seattle, Denver and Dallas, “The Natural”, a new all-natural multigrain 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 sells for $11, $1 more than the average medium, one-topping pizza.in.reuters.com, Pizza Hut rolling out all-natural pizza --Florentino floro (talk) 06:46, 10 May 2008 (UTC)

No. The price of a medium with plain cheese is $10.99, toppings are $1.50. 70.179.91.59 (talk) 15:48, 21 August 2008 (UTC)

Pizza Mia

Shouldn't the new Pizza Mia bee added to the products?--Ro098 (talk) 01:05, 16 May 2008 (UTC)

Be bold! Add it. :] ChingyThingy (talk) 12:53, 24 August 2008 (UTC)

no crticism

C'mon guys, this thing clogs your arteries like hell. Are you people sure there's no need for a criticism section? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 66.201.169.20 (talk) 17:53, 23 May 2008 (UTC)

Pizza Hut's true beginnings

Pizza Hut

My father was a good friend of the man who started Pizza Hut. His name was John Bender and he was in the United States Air Force. He also attended a Wichita college, which is how my father knew him. It was John Bender's recipe for the famous pizza, and he used to make and sell them from out of his home. He started making a lot of money from his at-home business, and it was obvious to the Air Force when he started driving on base with new cars that a typical airman couldn't afford. They confronted him regarding it, and when he confessed, they gave him a choice: the Air Force or his business. He chose his business and received a hardship discharge.

After that, John Bender decided to open a 'real' restaurant. He and my father collaborated on the design. Together they created several layouts, and John decided to use his barn - which is where he made the pizzas - as inspiration of the building. Aside from helping with the designs, my father drew a character of an Italian man holding a pizza box. He had a triangle body and an exaggerated mustache.

When John decided to make his dream a reality, he asked several people - including my father - to help finance it. He needed about 4,000 dollars. My father declined for two reasons: he had a new baby so he wouldn't be able to afford it, and because it was very risky back then to open a business because many have tried and failed. John asked my father if he could use the character my father drew as a mascot and my father, of course, said yes. John Bender received financial help from two or three other friends, and the restaurant opened.

After the restaurant opened, John asked my father if he wanted to drive a truck to deliver the pizza. Again my father declined because he was working full-time in the civil service. It was years before my father ever stepped foot into a Pizza Hut, stating it was one of his biggest regrets. 75.164.110.115 (talk) 09:29, 6 June 2008 (UTC)

Fast food

Pizza Hut is no fast food restaurant. You walk in, a host(ess) seats you, you get a menu, you have a waiter, you order from your table, food takes a while to get to you, and you leave a tip when you go. That's not fast-food, guys; that's a restaurant. Matt Yeager ♫ (Talk?) 01:49, 9 June 2008 (UTC)

That particular concept is being abandoned by the company. There are very few sit down versions of the store left, having been replaced by the Pizza Hut Express concept now found in most co-located Yum! Brands (KFC, Taco Bell, A&W and Long John Silver's) stores. --Jeremy ( Blah blah...) 06:19, 9 June 2008 (UTC)

That can't possibly true. I know of at least 4 or 5 sit-down restaurants within a 10 mile radius from where I live, and only 2 Express locations I know of in that area. --jonrev (talk) 06:33, 9 June 2008 (UTC)

It is true: as the company moves to a more co-branded model of doing business, the majority of its new stores are of the fast food style concept. Also, as it pushes its delivery and take out menus, the overhead costs for a full featured location become prohibitive in the market. Personally, within a five to ten mile radius of my location there is only one location left with the majority now being PHE stores, it all depends on the market. --Jeremy ( Blah blah...) 08:04, 9 June 2008 (UTC)

It's not true. Oh heavens, I don't know what's going on where you live, but the VAST majority of Pizza Huts are sit-down restaurants. Now, if you want to write about Pizza Hut Express, you can go create that article, but "Pizza Hut" is a casual dining establishment. Right? Matt Yeager ♫ (Talk?) 07:32, 10 June 2008 (UTC)

Nope, it is not. If you wish to change it, you must properly cite a source that states it your opinion is true. In the parlance of the restaurant industry, casual dining refers to chains such as Chili's, T.G.I. Friday's, Bennigan's et al. The rough definition used for a casual dining restaurant is a location that has a full bar and where a couple will spend about $40-50 for a meal. Because of its average check is about half to a third of the casual dining segment, Pizza Hut falls into the fast food restaurant category. The older style locations you are referring to fall into the family dining restaurant segment, along with Friendly's, Big Boy and Bob Evans. Additionally, major industry publications such as Nations Restaurant News and QSR Magazine have categorized the company as fast food for years. Frankly, they have a little more standing than a college student from Walla Walla.

Here is a note from NRN from 2004:

“ Yum! Brands, parent company of Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, and KFC, along with recently acquired Long John Silver's and A&W, announced in its fourth quarter 2003 report that it is expanding its ongoing market test of its Pizza Hut/WingStreet co-brand.

According to Wednesday's filing, the fast-feeder operates 2,148 multibrand stores in the United States. In 2003, 382 multibrand stores were added to the system, 148 in the fourth quarter. Fifty-eight percent of those added were conversions of existing single-brand restaurants. The rest were new openings. Pizza Hut/WingStreet combinations accounted 46 percent 2003's additions. The company expects this percentage to increase in 2004.

”

Here is another from NRN, with a quote from a Yum! brands executive that identifies the company as a fast food restaurant (Quick serve restaurant or QSR in industry parlance):

“ "Yum! Restaurants International is the largest and fastest-growing quick-service restaurant company in India," says Graham Allan, president, Yum! Restaurants International. "India represents a tremendous long-term growth opportunity for Yum!. "With a population of 1.1 billion people, a strong national infrastructure and a growing middle class, we are excited to continue to grow our brands in India," Allan continues. ”

This one, from Pizza Marketplace.com, specifically excludes the chain from casual dining establishments:

“ Novak traced some of Pizza Hut's woes to the company's position in the category. Its higher guest check average is driven by premium pizzas, which make for totals similar to those spent in casual dining restaurants. Casual dining, numerous restaurant analysts have said, is taking the hardest hits from higher gas prices because consumers are trading down to fast-casual and quick-service restaurants when eating out. ”

There is one market where the company specifically operates as a casual dining establishment, and that is in China. However at 200 stores out of 11,000, that is less than 2% of the chains operations. Analysts have stated that the type of stores you are referring to are dated, and could be upgraded to a casual dining format similar to the China locations.

“ Restaurant analyst Larry Miller with RBC Capital Markets said the new products are a good fit for Pizza Hut. "From a bigger-picture, longer-term view, this is a brand that's starting to differentiate itself from the competition in some really unique ways," he said.

Miller approved of the restaurant makeovers, saying "the iconic red-roof store is dated."

He said it's a signal that Pizza Hut is delving more into the casual dining segment, and that a contemporary look is needed to bolster the dine-in business and squeeze a greater return from stores.

”

Would you like me to continue?

--Jeremy ( Blah blah...) 08:35, 10 June 2008 (UTC)

I am extraordinarily confused. I mean, extremely confused. I'm not being sarcastic, I am absolutely befuddled. Both of the last two quotes you used specifically refer to Pizza Hut as "casual dining". Look at the third one, for heaven's sakes... the company is facing trouble because consumers are "trading down" to fast-food... from casual dining... like Pizza Hut!

Anyway, I doubt anybody would disagree that the rest of Yum's holdings are fast food. But Pizza Hut is not quite quick-service. For one thing, they have to bake a pizza for you. I don't care who you are, that doesn't happen "quick". The Food Network recommends 30 minutes for a thin-crust pizza. I suggest you either come up with some specific source or string of reasoning that explains how a restaurant like that is fast-food, or find other people to weigh in on this, or let it go. (P.S., who the heck is a college student from Walla Walla?) Matt Yeager ♫ (Talk?) 07:59, 11 June 2008 (UTC)

It doesn't say that it all, it says its check average is approaching the level of casual dining restaurants, not saying it is a casual dining establishment.

Here it is, Pizza Hut Express uses pre-made pizza that just need to be topped and quick baked in a high speed, high temp convection oven- total cook time is less than 5 minutes. In the sit down Pizza Hut restaurants the pizza use dough that was either pre-made shells or "fresh" dough brought in from a commissary. Otherwise the procedure is the same: top the dough and put it in a the same type oven as above, cook time is less than 10 minutes. This concept was created by Uno's over 20 years ago because a traditional Chicago deep dish pizza takes anywhere from 45-60 minutes to cook and most people did not want to order when they first entered the building, before even sitting down (that is how you order in a traditional Chicago pizzeria). The reference you used is for made from scratch pizza.

I worked for the company, and I have been in restaurants and hospitality for over 25 years. Again, what do you have?

--Jeremy ( Blah blah...) 23:14, 12 June 2008 (UTC)

I think there is more than enough room to consider that Pizza Hut is still "casual dining" in some locations, and "fast food" in others. The chain is indeed evolving (including the "Pasta Hut" menu changes), but attempting to establish some kind of unchanging single designation and arguing exclusively one side or the other is wildly inappropriate. The fact is, the Pizza Hut Express locations in malls and such usually sell popular pre-cooked (or pre-prepped) and pre-packaged items over the counter, like Individual Pan Pizza during lunch, on demand, with immediate payment on "order". Other traditional sit-down locations have a more "casual dining" feel, with a waiter serving drinks, open salad bar, pizza cooked to order and served at the table, and with payment following the conclusion of dining. It may be that some locations are closing the service restaurants, or changing them to Express formats, or otherwise eliminating table service; but as long as some "full service" locations remain, we cannot pretend they do not exist or ignore them. NPOV requires simply reporting all the available "dining formats" for Pizza Hut, and avoiding speculation about where the chain might be headed in the future, unless Pizza Hut formally states its business plans on the matter. --T-dot ( ^Talk/contribs ) 14:19, 11 June 2008 (UTC)

This issue also needs to be considered from the worldwide perspective. The sake of argument of whether Pizza Hut is "casual dining" or a "fast food" establishment is being discussed for the Pizza Hut restaurant types in the US. I am originally from California and have lived in Germany since 2000. Almost all locations here in Germany are sit-down restaurants offering a full-service menu as well as waiters (Pizza Hut store types in Germany, see symbols beneath "Services") with some co-branded KFC/Pizza Hut Express locations (Co-branded KFC/Pizza Hut Express Darmstadt), (Co-branded KFC/Pizza Hut Express Augsburg) or stand-alone Pizza Hut Express locations (selling only Pan Pizzas) (Pizza Hut Express Cologne Main Train Station Example). It really depends on the country. However I do recall that in the SF Bay Area most locations have also shifted from the sit-down restaurant type to a take-out concept. I would think that YUM! follows one or the other restaurant type model depending on the individual country and how its customer base is most likely to take advantage of their services. Toni S. (talk) 16:53, 12 June 2008 (UTC)

I'm going to have to suggest that consensus is against you, Jeremy. I think Toni's first link especially is fairly convincing even if you think our arguments are not. I don't know, though. Matt Yeager ♫ (Talk?) 03:17, 14 June 2008 (UTC)

Neon5162 (talk) 19:01, 1 August 2008 (UTC) Unless your at a pizza hut express your going to be sitting down. Yes the food is fast but there is a salad bar and the bread sticks to consider. The very act of parking your car walking in the building and waiting to be seated makes Pizza Hut a Dine In restaurant.

Have any of you thought that maybe it's BOTH? Pizza Hut has BOTH sit downs and fast food types. Why don't we mention that instead of picking one? ChingyThingy (talk) 12:57, 24 August 2008 (UTC)

coke at pizza hut?

the pizza huts in san francisco bay area serve coke.also the target stores serve both coke and pizza hut products even thought they also serve pepsi as well.according to pizza hut sri lanka website, all the pizza huts in that country serve coke.also the pizza huts in expressways serve coke.and some college operated pizza huts serve coke due to contract at colleges.can anyone tell me more places that pizza huts serve coke?why they serve coke?71.168.248.72 (talk) 01:54, 24 June 2008 (UTC)

WP:FOOD Tagging

This article talk page was automatically added with {{WikiProject Food and drink}} banner as it falls under Category:Restaurants or one of its subcategories. If you find this addition an error, Kindly undo the changes and update the inappropriate categories if needed. You can find the related request for tagging here -- TinucherianBot (talk) 10:47, 2 July 2008 (UTC)

Pizza Hut UK

Pizza Hut does not charge extra for it's pan base in the UK, i've removed this. Any ideas where this came from? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 83.100.211.192 (talk) 02:12, 9 July 2008 (UTC)