Pizza Hut is set to close hundreds of its stores across the country due to low sales, the food chain’s parent company has announced.
The closure of roughly 250 American restaurants is expected to be completed this year, Yum! Brands CEO Chris Turner said during an
earnings conference call on Wednesday, Feb. 4.
PEOPLE reached out to Pizza Hut for comment, but did not immediately receive a response.
The decision is expected to aid in “a longer-term acceleration of the brand,” an executive said on the call, adding that “targeted closures of underperforming units” would soon take place.
The franchise plans to cut about 250 "underperforming" stores in the first half of 2026, CFO Ranjith Roy noted during the call, per
KTLA.
“Looking back at 2025, Pizza Hut saw a 1 percent same-store sales decline globally for the quarter of the year,” while other locations in Asia, Latin America and the Middle East saw an increase, Roy added.
The stores closing account for 3% of the chain's footprint in the U.S.,
CNN reported.
In a November 2025
press release, Yum! Brands, which also owns KFC and Taco Bell, announced it was considering the possibility of selling Pizza Hut. The popular franchise was founded by the Carney brothers in 1958.
“The Pizza Hut team has been working hard to address business and category challenges; however, 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,” Turner said in the 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.”
At the time, Yum! Brands did not set a deadline, and also noted “there can be no assurance this review will result in any specific outcome or transaction.
im in the area where REAL PIZZA is made. Not that fake shyt.
