Pizza Hut

In 1958, two Wichita State University students, Dan and Frank Carney, borrowed $600 from their mother to open a single pizza restaurant in Wichita, Kansas. The name Pizza Hut came from the sign, which could only hold eight letters. Six months later, they opened a second location. By 1963, there were 24 Pizza Huts. The distinctive red-roofed building design, created by Chicago architect George Lindstrom in 1963, became one of the most recognizable restaurant silhouettes in America. The original building now sits on the campus of Wichita State University, dedicated to the Center for Entrepreneurship in 1986.

Pizza Hut grew through franchising starting in 1959, and by the 1970s it had expanded internationally. In 1977, PepsiCo acquired the chain, and later spun it off into what became Yum! Brands, which also owns KFC, Taco Bell, and Habit Burger & Grill. The brand pioneered online food ordering: the first pizza ever ordered over the internet was a Pizza Hut pizza. Today, Pizza Hut operates 19,974 restaurants in 108 countries, with total system sales of $12.794 billion in 2025. It employs roughly 350,000 people.

The menu has grown far beyond pizza. Pizza Hut offers pan pizza, hand-tossed and thin crust varieties, pasta, chicken wings, breadsticks, garlic bread, desserts, and drinks. The brand operates dine-in, delivery, carryout, and hybrid formats. In 2025, Yum! Brands announced a review of strategic options for Pizza Hut and agreed to sell the brand in deals worth approximately $2.7 billion, marking the first change of ownership since 1977. A new logo was introduced in July 2025. [edit]