About Us
Our Heritage
The legacy of Pizza Hut began in 1958, when two college students from Wichita, Kansas, were approached by a family friend with the idea of opening a pizza parlor. Although the concept was relatively new to many Americans at that time, the brothers quickly saw the potential of this new enterprise.
After borrowing $600 from their mother, they purchased some second-hand equipment and rented a small building on a busy intersection in their hometown. The result of their entrepreneurial efforts was the first Pizza Hut restaurant and the foundation for what would become the largest and most successful pizza restaurant in the world.
During the past four decades we've built a reputation for excellence that has earned us the respect of consumers and industry experts alike. Our products have been voted number one in countless consumer surveys nationwide. Our accomplishments as an innovative business leader have been cited by such respected publications as Restaurant Business, Fortune, USA Today and The Wall Street Journal.
Named "The Best Company to Work For" in Dallas/Fort Worth by D Magazine (January 2000), Pizza Hut has been named the number one national pizza chain in America according to Restaurants & Institutions' "2001 Choice in Chains" survey. Pizza Hut is the recognized leader of the $25 billion pizza category and has been since 1971.
Building the leading pizza company has required innovation, a commitment to quality, and a dedication to service and value. But perhaps as much as anything, it has taken the qualities of entrepreneurship, growth and leadership, which have characterized our business through more than four decades of success.
Pizza Hut franchisees, for example, exemplify the entrepreneurial spirit which launched the system back in 1958. Through their interest and initiative, the Pizza Hut system was able to develop new territories both in the United States and overseas. Today, franchisees and joint venture partnerships account for nearly half of the system's total units.
