Pizza Hut was always my mom's favorite and would order it for when we had friends over or we'd do to the restaurant. Loved those old school table video games and big red cups full of Coke.

Once I got to A&M, but budget put me out of the Pizza Hut demo and in to Gumby's.

aggiehawg said:

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nortex97 said:

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Not a fan of private equity in many respects either but something needed to be done I guess, and this is a move from Chinese ownership to something else at least. I don't know anything about this PE outfit but for what they paid for it they must think they can make it into something closer to what it was.

Pizza Hut around 15+ years ago had a move to 'better ingredients' I think that worked well for a bit but then they just treaded water the past 10 years in my mind. Caveat; I'm too old/fat to eat pizza more than a handful of times a year so my take is probably wrong.

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I get your point. But the reason so many chain restaurants have deteriorated food wise is the reliance on Sysco for ingredients. Sysco is crap as a wholesaler. I was in the grocery business with my first husband for a time. Only as good as your supplier. We switched wholesaler affiliations for just that reason. Better produce, better meat equals better profits on better volume. Yes, our prices went up from the wholesaler cutting into our already slim profit margin but our volume went up nearly 30% in 60 days after the changeover.

But we were a Mom and Pop shop, not an investor. Different motivations.

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Good insight and info. Thanks aggiehawg.

Jeeper79 said:

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I remember it before it went buffet. Granted it wasn't as good as some of these new gourmet pizza joints, but it easily the best pizza in town. And it was nice enough for eating out on a special occasion.

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Pizza Hut on Sundays at lunch was a treat when I was a kid. It was always a race between the Lutherans, Methodists, and Catholics to see who would get out of the service first and get a spot. The Baptists were screwed because their services were longer.

Saw how they are going retro in some locations but the problem is they changed the food. Pizza Hut used to have a unique deep dish pizza with real flavor and fresh ingredients and it's been cardboard slop or gimmick pizza for a long time. I haven't voluntarily spent money with them in at least 20 years, if I want cardboard pizza I just get Dominos. I'd love to have them as a "real" pizza option though again but not holding my breath.

I believe the person responsible for the ugly Taco Bell design is the same person that almost destroyed Cracker Barrel

aggie93 said:

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Saw how they are going retro in some locations but the problem is they changed the food. Pizza Hut used to have a unique deep dish pizza with real flavor and fresh ingredients and it's been cardboard slop or gimmick pizza for a long time. I haven't voluntarily spent money with them in at least 20 years, if I want cardboard pizza I just get Dominos. I'd love to have them as a "real" pizza option though again but not holding my breath.

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I could eat a whole tray of that baked pasta if I put my mind to it.

In 2009/10 Dominoes revamped its recipes and turned things around, maybe Pizza Hut can do the same, because right now its terrible.


"Domino's did not just tweak a few ingredients and hoped people would not notice. They completely overhauled their recipe, from the crust to the sauce to the cheese. And then, in a campaign called "The Pizza Turnaround," they told the world about it.


The impact was mind-blowing. In 2009, Domino's stock was worth $8 per share. By 2021, it had soared past $400 per share! The company went from being a joke to the biggest pizza chain in the world, surpassing Pizza Hut.

HTownAg98 said:

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aggie93 said:

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Saw how they are going retro in some locations but the problem is they changed the food. Pizza Hut used to have a unique deep dish pizza with real flavor and fresh ingredients and it's been cardboard slop or gimmick pizza for a long time. I haven't voluntarily spent money with them in at least 20 years, if I want cardboard pizza I just get Dominos. I'd love to have them as a "real" pizza option though again but not holding my breath.

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I could eat a whole tray of that baked pasta if I put my mind to it.

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I always remember Pizza Hut was such a treat as a kid. When we went on road trips to South Carolina to see family my folks would always break down and have us go there for one meal on the way there and the way back, absolute highlight for my young self. Now it's complete garbage.

Gaeilge said:

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They're going to pump it full of so much debt, bankrupt it, and then flip the real estate.

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To whom? What buyers? Maybe there will be independent, small business owners who are looking to start a restaurant, but that will be a slow process to offload the full portfolio as wholesale buyers have been diminishing over time.

Did ya hear that? Pizza kicked the bucket!

nortex97 said:

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GeorgiAg said:

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Gaeilge said:

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They're going to pump it full of so much debt, bankrupt it, and then flip the real estate.

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Ding, Ding, Ding. We have a winner.

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What real estate does Pizza Hut have/own, outside of franchisees? They sell around $13 billion a year and 99 percent are franchised (mostly outside of the US). Retail restaurant leases aren't worth a whole lot at this point.

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I don't know the details of their franchise agreements... I recall reading years ago that McDonalds owns all of their restaurants and aside from the annual franchise fee that is paid the franchisee leases the building from corporate. So in essence what McDonalds has is an enormous real estate portfolio that encompasses tens of thousands, maybe hundreds, of the best intersections in Amnerican and global cities.

McDonalds is absolutely in the real estate business.

Same thing with Cracker Barrel. They are all interstate frontage and often in areas that today are slap in the middle of urban sprawl when they were first built miles outside of town.

re: "private equity"

If I cannot say anything nice... then I will not say anything.

TxLawDawg said:

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I have very fond memories of Pizza Hut as a kid, but their food is absolutely terrible now. I wish they'd resurrect the old style sit down restaurants with salad bars and lunch buffets, but maybe that's just wishful nostalgia. I don't know if that would work any more since it doesn't seem like many other restaurants do it. But I will say one of the most popular restaurants near me still has a great salad bar and there's almost always a wait for tables. Either way, Pizza Hut needs to start from scratch with their pizza like Domino's did several years ago, because their current pizza is trash.

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Up until 2-3 years ago ... in Plano (on Ohio) Dr was a stand-alone, old school Pizza Hut. They completely razed the building and in its place built a kiosk-sized building with maybe a few tables as a waiting area... basically a drive-through-centric.

No telling the $$$$$s spent on the raze and rebuild.

samurai_science said:

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In 2009/10 Dominoes revamped its recipes and turned things around, maybe Pizza Hut can do the same, because right now its terrible.


"Domino's did not just tweak a few ingredients and hoped people would not notice. They completely overhauled their recipe, from the crust to the sauce to the cheese. And then, in a campaign called "The Pizza Turnaround," they told the world about it.


The impact was mind-blowing. In 2009, Domino's stock was worth $8 per share. By 2021, it had soared past $400 per share! The company went from being a joke to the biggest pizza chain in the world, surpassing Pizza Hut.

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Idea.
Hire the CEO who did it for Domino's and make him the boss of Pizza Hut!

Sit down Pizza Hut dinners as a kid were the best. I remember when the deep dish came out too. They would bring it over to the table and serve everyone their first slice.

Then in high school when I lived in a town with no Pizza Hut, Tuesday night buffets were the best. We'd bust out of football practice and load 5-6 into several cars and destroy the buffet about 20 miles away. I think 21 slices was the record.

Since moving to Arkansas, I've noticed a lot more old school sit-down pizza joints. Big fan.

Trajan88 said:

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re: "private equity"

If I cannot say anything nice... then I will not say anything.

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What I am hearing is that we need to ban private equity but people are too scared to say it out loud.

Or just let Pizza hut die. More than enough s*** pizza chains to go to over pizza hut.

The one in Hempstead has the checkered cloth and red glasses.

We stopped there about two months ago and they said that they were looking into getting 80's video games.

aggie93 said:

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Saw how they are going retro in some locations but the problem is they changed the food. Pizza Hut used to have a unique deep dish pizza with real flavor and fresh ingredients and it's been cardboard slop or gimmick pizza for a long time. I haven't voluntarily spent money with them in at least 20 years, if I want cardboard pizza I just get Dominos. I'd love to have them as a "real" pizza option though again but not holding my breath.

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They still have the deep dish pan and it's as good as ever. Their app has much better deals than just ordering by phone.

I'd eaten at the Pizza Hut in College Station when it was a sit down buffet with good/decent pizza and unending Pepsi.

Then I moved to another city, got married, time passed and one day I remembered and was in a mood so I told my wife that I am going to take her to a Pizza Hut buffet as it was great. We were not wealthy or anything so PH level places were still go-to places. So I did, and the food sucked so bad, that I became the butt of her jokes and derision on the drive back.

Thank you PH.

Teslag said:

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aggie93 said:

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Saw how they are going retro in some locations but the problem is they changed the food. Pizza Hut used to have a unique deep dish pizza with real flavor and fresh ingredients and it's been cardboard slop or gimmick pizza for a long time. I haven't voluntarily spent money with them in at least 20 years, if I want cardboard pizza I just get Dominos. I'd love to have them as a "real" pizza option though again but not holding my breath.

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They still have the deep dish pan and it's as good as ever. Their app has much better deals than just ordering by phone.

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They changed the recipes years ago and it's cheap garbage. Bottom of the list in taste tests

Stupe said:

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The one in Hempstead has the checkered cloth and red glasses.

We stopped there about two months ago and they said that they were looking into getting 80's video games.

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What a crap idea. Another gimmick.

All they got to do is improve the food, improve the quantity, the convenience and experience. Frikkin give the customer what they want, that is it. Make him/her feel like they got a great deal and they will tell everyone.

80s games will work only in niche areas where folks are gamers. Not suburban places.

Pizza Hut, Pizza Hut
Kentucky Fried Chicken and a Pizza Hut
McDonalds! McDonalds!
Kentucky Fried Chicken and a Pizza Hut

aggie93 said:

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Saw how they are going retro in some locations but the problem is they changed the food. Pizza Hut used to have a unique deep dish pizza with real flavor and fresh ingredients and it's been cardboard slop or gimmick pizza for a long time. I haven't voluntarily spent money with them in at least 20 years, if I want cardboard pizza I just get Dominos. I'd love to have them as a "real" pizza option though again but not holding my breath.

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this the deep dish was the best growing up

infinity ag said:

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Trajan88 said:

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re: "private equity"

If I cannot say anything nice... then I will not say anything.

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What I am hearing is that we need to ban private equity but people are too scared to say it out loud.

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Private equity can be very useful and productive, when they truly know what they are doing meaning the factors that make a business model in that industry successful.

Not sure of your age but I was a young lawyer during the KKR years when leveraged buy-outs (LBOs) were a thing. Buying a company, loading it up with debt to buy it, then selling it off piece by piece.

If you have ever seen the movie, Wall Street, with Michael Douglas as the character, Gordon Gecko, you know.

Better yet, can watch an old HBO movie for free on youtube called Barbarians at the Gates with James Garner based on the true story of the LBO of RJR-Nabisco by KKR. Very funny movie BTW. Recommend highly.

Frok said:

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Pizza Hut, Pizza Hut
Kentucky Fried Chicken and a Pizza Hut
McDonalds! McDonalds!
Kentucky Fried Chicken and a Pizza Hut

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HOW DARE YOU PUT THAT SONG IN MY HEAD!!!!

I hope your pillow stays hot tonight

infinity ag said:

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Stupe said:

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The one in Hempstead has the checkered cloth and red glasses.

We stopped there about two months ago and they said that they were looking into getting 80's video games.

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What a crap idea. Another gimmick.

All they got to do is improve the food, improve the quantity, the convenience and experience. Frikkin give the customer what they want, that is it. Make him/her feel like they got a great deal and they will tell everyone.

80s games will work only in niche areas where folks are gamers. Not suburban places.

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wrong everyone remembers going to Pizza Hut as a kid and having the whole experience.

Or pitchers of root beer?

pizza hut is ass my dude

infinity ag said:

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The Ex Officio Director said:

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Local taco trucks are killing taco bell.

For a few dollars more I can a better taco than at taco smell.

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The only reason I go to TacoHell is for nostalgia - the TB on Univ Drive that still exists used to be my haunt. My wife hates the place and I have also stopped going there because it is so expensive that is actually costs more there than to get Thai or Chinese takeout that is more food and better taste.

I go only every 6-8 months to feel young again.

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I go every five years before my colonoscopies. I eat Taco Bell instead of drinking that gallon of nasty stuff, clears you out just the same.

I liked Pizza Inn better than Pizza Hut.

CoPilot says 6700 locations in the US alone. So, for 1.5B that's roughly $225K per store. I assume there's debt as we'll the PE firm will be buying so how does this math add up?

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Pizza Hut used to be a rare treat during my lolpoor days in College Station.

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Chanello's or gtfo

Two Pesos and Taco Bueno are better than Taco smell.