Pizza Hut is cooking up a major resurgence in 2026, but it's also shutting hundreds of locations
maybe one near you. Here's what's changing at the Hut this year and why
If your childhood was filled with family nights out at your local Pizza Hut, you can likely still
picture the scene. Slightly sticky, red-checked tablecloths, a Tiffany-style lamp hanging over
each booth, the salad bar that you skipped in favor of endless breadsticks. Pizza Hut has since
shifted to prioritize carry-out-only locations over dine-in spots. However, some traditional pizza huts around the country are diving back into the 80s and 90s, retrofitting their dining
rooms to give diners a blast from the past. The lamps are back, and so is the salad bar
These throwback pizza hut locations are primarily situated in quieter areas, and they still have the traditional red slanted roof. One noticeable example in
Tunkhannock, Pennsylvania draws customers from as far away as Florida and Canada
to experience a taste of the OG Pizza Hut. These so-called Pizza Hut classics are nowhere to be
found on the website for Yum! Brands, the Hut's parent company, and there isn't a centralized
locator, so there's no official record of how many Pizza Hut classics there are
But the New York Times counted around 144, and that number is reportedly climbing
You know what I miss most about playing? Yelling Hut! So I got this job. I got your Pizza Hut
The Hut started the year off strong with new ad campaigns featuring former quarterback Tom Brady
The commercial spots play well. Brady is still incredibly well-liked, and the timing of the launch smartly coincided with the 2026 Super Bowl
Another recent campaign features rapper and songwriter Anderson .Paak appearing as an old-school college professor teaching a class how to throw a pizza party
With Pizza Hut, of course. Pizza Hut! And it's gotta slap, y'all
Again, Paak's involvement makes sense. His live concerts draw a wide range of age groups, and this speaks to his likely appeal
as a spokesperson. While it's still unknown how these campaigns have fared so far in 2026
we're guessing that we're likely to see other familiar faces with broad appeal throughout the
rest of the year. The Hut has a number of crust options to suit a number of moods. You've got the
OG pan pizza for when you're feeling traditional, the thin and crispy that lets the topping shine
through, the Chicago-inspired tavern crust, and the stuffed crust for when you're feeling
really indulgent. Another option is Pizza Hut's hand-tossed crust, which up until now hasn't
been much to rave about. In March 2026, Pizza Hut rolled out its updated hand-tossed option
which aims to improve upon the previous recipe in big ways The new version is topped with a garlic parmesan crust finisher that reportedly adds a golden buttery note to each bite To encourage customers to try its new hand crust Pizza Hut started running a deal for a
limited time, offering a large three-topping pizza for just $10. It's not uncommon for restaurant
chains to run promotions featuring special menu items throughout the year. The tactic gets you
in the door with a jewel-worthy deal, and then you'll hopefully spend some extra cash on your
favorites. That's presumably why Pizza Hut started 2026 by introducing the $10 Big New Yorker
The Big New Yorker isn't new. Pizza Hut has brought it back for a limited time several times
over the course of the last few years as a way to attract previous customers. Some of those
customers say this version is excellent, others say they prefer their go-to Pizza Hut orders
Pizza Hut is also attempting to time its promotions to coincide with major sporting
events and other seasonal moments. It's a smart way to ensure peak buying interest from its fan
base. This particular promo wrapped up immediately after the Super Bowl, but was immediately followed
by Pizza Hut's new hand-tossed crust campaign. We can assume then there are more to come
If you're looking to snag a discount on pizza in the near future, keep your eyes on Pizza Hut
A few stars had to align for this collaboration between Pizza Hut and Space Jam to work
First, Pizza Hut had to be the official pizza partner of March Madness
which it has been for a while. Second, it had to form a partnership with Warner Brothers
who owns the rights to Space Jam, and the Looney Tunes characters who'd previously been
all about McDonald's. Luckily, those both happened. With the OG Space Jam turning 30 in 2026
Pizza Hut decided to get in on the celebration of the classic throwback movie while also doubling
down on its marketing during peak basketball season. The Hut launched its triple treat box
complete with a Space Jam-themed sleeve for its packaging, for the duration of March Madness
The promotion featured two medium one-topping pizzas, breadsticks, and cinnamon sticks for
the intro price of $21.99, with upgrades available. Customers could also download the Pizza Hut Rewards app for chances to win free pizza for
a year through a limited-time sweepstakes running through March Madness, with Looney
Tunes-themed games in the app, and they also announced that they were running low on the
special edition pizza box sleeves. It was either a sign that it was a good deal or that customers
really love them some Space Jam. Think you don't need Pizza Hut swag? Think again. At least
the Hut is hoping you decide that you need it and that it gets you to download the Hut Rewards app
Hut Rewards has been around for a while, but the brand has made some changes to make it more
appealing like launching in giveaways themed around its Space Jam collab for March Madness New app users played games for the chance to win branded merch that was available in limited drops over several weeks with the hope probably being that those app users would remain engaged even
after the Tweety Bird-themed goods were gone. For fans not into promotional gear
the Hut Rewards app also offered a March Madness pizza challenge. Those who brought three orders of
any size pizza via the app during the weeks of that campaign received 500 rewards points that
they could use at a later time. It's safe to say that Pizza Hut went all in on its March Madness
promos this year, but the app allows for rewards throughout the year, so more challenges are likely
to roll out as the year goes on. Pizza Hut is still managing to stay in today's tough pizza game
but that doesn't mean the company can ignore a recent sales slump. Its U.S. sales declined 3% in the fourth quarter of 2025, and sales are down 2% overall in the past
decade. That might not sound like a lot, but when you're talking about a restaurant chain
worth more than $3 billion, a small percentage is a sizable chunk of change
On a February 2026 earnings call with Yum Brands, the company's CFO shared that 250
Pizza Hut locations in the U.S. would be closing in the first half of the year
That announcement followed a lackluster end to 2025, which already saw Pizza Hut locations close
their doors. The scheduled closure of underperforming stores as part of a new
Hut Forward initiative meant to spark a renewed sense of health for the brand
The same program, which is being financially backed by its parent company, will see revamped
marketing initiatives and a focus on incorporating new technology to make a larger impact moving
forward. While this news is probably not a shock to those who know the Pizza Hut brand
it's safe to say that individual stores are currently under a microscope. With the overall
brand struggling to retain its market share, let alone see sales growth, locations that drag down
the bottom line are bound to get torpedoed. Your tone is quasi-facetious, but you do not
realize that Pizza Hut was the only restaurant to survive the franchise wars. If the reference to
Space Jam, Tom Brady, and salad bars aren't making it obvious enough, we'll just come out and say it
Pizza Hut is going all in on the nostalgia factor in 2026. Well, mostly all in. Some
memories are better left in the past. It's wrong, isn't it? But it feels so right
Then it's a deal? Yes, we eat our pizza the wrong way. Crust first
Regardless, the nostalgia push makes sense. After all, the chain was at its peak in the 80s and 90s
and millennials who remember the Book It program and dessert pizzas might just be willing to
part with their hard-earned cash in exchange for a dining experience that reminds them of
their childhood. The brand appears to be banking on this, as the nostalgia is strong in much
of Pizza Hut marketing these days Anderson Paak commercial has a distinct 80s vibe and the chain social media pages make repeated references to how things were Think you seen the ultimate Pizza Hut pan pizza Across Pizza Hut internet presence you find several nods to the original pan pizza
which numerous stands say is still the best crust the chain offers. It might not be fashionable
these days, but if you're craving that specific texture that only the Hut can deliver, you know
where to go. And if you forget, Pizza Hut will remind you on social media. While Pizza Hut may be struggling stateside to convince U.S. consumers to buy more of its
pizzas, the chain has had some recent success overseas. In 2025, Pizza Hut opened almost 1,200
locations across 65 counties, showing that in certain parts of the globe, the Hut is still a
force in the pizza business. In recent years, Pizza Hut has been making a concerted effort to
open new locations in Latin America, the Caribbean, Spain, and other regions. At one point in 2018
the goal was to open an additional 2,500 Pizza Huts in targeted areas
though it's unclear if those plans shifted following the pandemic. The international openings certainly helped to keep Pizza Hut on solid footing
considering how the stateside portion of the business continues to struggle, even though not every global launch has been a success. Nearly 70 locations in the U.K
closed in 2025 following lackluster sales, but overall, Pizza Hut's brand recognition overseas
remained strong. Pizza Hut executives said in their February earnings call that overseas
branches saw a 1% increase in same-store sales in 2025, though the overall store count was down
because of the domestic closures in the U.S. In the background of every growth initiative that
Pizza Hut tries in 2026 is a cold, hard fact. The chain is struggling, and its parent company could
be looking to sell the beleaguered brand. In November of 2025, its current parent company
Yum! Brands, announced in a press release that it would be conducting a formal review of strategic
options for the Pizza Hut brand. The company's other brands, Taco Bell and KFC, reported 8% and
6% growth in 2025, while Pizza Hut posted a sales decline of 3%. No one wants to be the slacker of
the bunch. In the release, CEO Chris Turner said that one of the possible outcomes of the review
could be that Pizza Hut is sold to a new owner. Since then, the review has reportedly been going
on as planned, but there have been no public updates provided on the brand's performance
Before we fret about the end of the pan pizza, though, keep in mind that the chain still has
almost 20,000 locations worldwide and more than 6,000 locations in the U.S
If the Hut can win back some fans with new crusts and catchy promos
it won't be changing hands anytime soon