Pizza Hut facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Pizza Hut, LLC

The classic Pizza Hut logo used in the U.S. since 2019 (left), and the logo used in other countries since 2025 (right).
This Pizza Hut in Athens, Ohio, shows the famous red roof and sign style that was common in the United States.
Type	Subsidiary
Industry	Pizzeria Restaurants
Genre	Casual dining take-out
Founded	May 31, 1958; 67 years ago (1958-05-31) Wichita, Kansas, U.S.
Founders	Dan Carney Frank Carney
Headquarters	7100 Corporate Dr., Plano, Texas (USA) Elstree Way, Borehamwood Hertfordshire (UK)
Number of locations	19,866 restaurants worldwide (2023)
Area served	Worldwide
Key people	Aaron Powell (president Pizza Hut International)
Products	Pizza Fries Pan pizza Pasta Chicken wings Breadsticks
Services	Franchising
Revenue	US$1.091 billion (2016)
Number of employees	About 350,000
Parent	Yum! Brands

Pizza Hut is a famous American pizza restaurant chain that is known all over the world. It is also an international franchise, which means people can buy the right to open their own Pizza Hut restaurant.

The company was started in 1958 in Wichita, Kansas, by two brothers, Dan and Frank Carney. They were students at Wichita State University at the time. The business grew quickly, and today there are almost 20,000 Pizza Hut restaurants across the globe.

Pizza Hut is famous for its special building design with a red roof and for creating the popular stuffed crust pizza. The company is now owned by Yum! Brands, which also owns other fast-food chains like KFC and Taco Bell.

History of Pizza Hut

The very first Pizza Hut opened on May 31, 1958, in Wichita, Kansas. It has since been moved to the Wichita State University campus.

Pizza Hut was founded on May 31, 1958, by brothers Dan and Frank Carney. They were college students in Wichita, Kansas, and borrowed $600 from their mom to start their business. The first restaurant was a small brick building. It was so successful that they opened a second one just six months later. Within a year, they had six restaurants.

An interesting early employee was Bill Parcells, who later became a famous NFL coach. He worked at Pizza Hut while he was in college. He thought about opening his own Pizza Hut but decided to become a coach instead.

The brothers started offering franchises in 1959. This allowed other people to open their own Pizza Hut restaurants. The famous red roof building design was created in 1963 by an architect from Chicago named George Lindstrom.

In 1977, the company PepsiCo bought Pizza Hut. Later, in 1997, PepsiCo created a new company for its restaurants, which included Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, and Kentucky Fried Chicken. This new company was eventually named Yum! Brands in 2002.

In 1994, Pizza Hut tried something new called PizzaNet. It was one of the first times people could order a pizza online using the internet. This showed how the company was always trying new ideas.

Over the years, Pizza Hut has made some changes. In 2019, the company brought back its classic logo from the 1970s, the one with the red roof. They also closed some of their older dine-in restaurants to focus more on delivery and take-out.

Types of Restaurants

Pizza Hut has a few different kinds of restaurants.

• Dine-In Restaurants: These are the classic, family-style restaurants where you can sit down and eat. Many of these used to have a lunch buffet with all-you-can-eat pizza, salad, and pasta.
• Delivery and Carry-Out: These are smaller stores where you can pick up your pizza or have it delivered to your home.
• Express Locations: These are very small Pizza Huts often found in places like airports, shopping mall food courts, and Target stores. They have a smaller menu for people who want a quick meal.

The Famous Red Roof

An Express location is a smaller version of Pizza Hut, like this one in San Marcos, Texas.

For many years, Pizza Hut restaurants were easy to spot because of their bright red roofs. This design was created by architect Richard D. Burke. Even though many new restaurants don't have this roof, you can still find some of these "red roof" buildings in the U.S. and other countries.

Some people think this building style is an important part of American culture. It reminds them of a time when families would go out to eat pizza together. Many of these older buildings have been closed or rebuilt, but they are still a special part of Pizza Hut's history.

Popular Food Items

A look at some of the different foods you can get at Pizza Hut in the Philippines.

Pizza Hut is known for many different kinds of pizza and other foods. Some of the most popular items in North America include:

• Pan Pizza: This pizza is baked in a deep pan, which makes the crust thick, soft on the inside, and crispy on the outside.
• Stuffed Crust Pizza: This was a huge hit when it came out in 1995. The outer edge of the crust is filled with melted mozzarella cheese.
• Thin 'N Crispy: This was the original style of pizza that Pizza Hut made. It has a very thin and crispy crust.
• P'Zone: This is a mix between a pizza and a calzone. It's a folded pizza pocket filled with toppings and served with marinara sauce for dipping.
• WingStreet Wings: Many Pizza Huts also sell chicken wings under the name WingStreet. They come with many different sauces.

In 2001, Pizza Hut even made a pizza that was sent to space! It was a small, 6-inch pizza that was vacuum-sealed and taken to the International Space Station for an astronaut to eat.

Pizza Hut Around the World

Countries where you can find Pizza Hut restaurants.

Pizza Hut is a global brand with restaurants in many countries.

• China: In China, Pizza Hut is often seen as a nice, sit-down restaurant. The menu includes special items that are popular in China, along with pizza. It is one of the most successful foreign restaurant chains in the country.
• Australia: The first Pizza Hut in Australia opened in 1970. Today, there are over 250 stores across the country.
• United Kingdom: Pizza Hut opened its first UK restaurant in 1973. It is a popular place for families and even offers vegan options, like plant-based pepperoni.
• Pakistan: The first Pizza Hut in Pakistan opened in 1993. Now, it has restaurants in 23 different cities.

The company sometimes changes its menu to match the tastes of people in different countries. For example, in some parts of Asia, you might find rice dishes on the menu.

Advertising and Fun Facts

Pizza Hut delivery motorcycles are a common sight in Japan.

Pizza Hut has had many memorable commercials and promotions over the years.

• Back to the Future Part II: The company sponsored the 1989 movie Back to the Future Part II. In the film, the characters eat a tiny, dehydrated Pizza Hut pizza that expands in a special oven.
• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: In 1990, the NES game Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Arcade Game came with a coupon for a free Pizza Hut pizza.
• Mikhail Gorbachev: In a famous 1998 commercial, the former leader of the Soviet Union, Mikhail Gorbachev, appeared in an ad for Pizza Hut. It was filmed in Moscow's Red Square.
• Sponsorships: Pizza Hut has sponsored sports teams and events, including being the official pizza sponsor of the National Football League (NFL) in the United States.

Book It! Program

A Little Free Library decorated like a Pizza Hut in Gillette, Wyoming.

Since 1985, Pizza Hut has run a reading program in schools called Book It!. The program encourages kids to read. Students who meet their reading goals receive a certificate for a free Personal Pan Pizza. The classroom that reads the most books wins a pizza party. The program was started to help the son of a Pizza Hut president read more.

Health and Nutrition

Like many fast foods, Pizza Hut pizzas can be high in salt.

Like many fast-food restaurants, some of Pizza Hut's food can be high in salt and fat. In the past, the company was criticized for the high salt content in its meals. In response, Pizza Hut worked to reduce the amount of salt in its food. They have also introduced healthier options over the years, such as "The Natural" pizza, which used all-natural ingredients.

See also

In Spanish: Pizza Hut para niños

• List of pizza chains
• List of pizza varieties by country