Pizza Hut Shares Details of New Restaurant Prototype

Pizza Hut recently unveiled a new design concept that the company hopes will combat sluggish sales amid increased industry competition as well as create a more convenient pick-up experience for its guests.

The new prototype features a modernized interior with dining room seating, touchscreen kiosks for customers to place orders, and heated cabinets for pick-up. It includes a pizza-making station at the center of the restaurant, allowing customers to see employees make their orders. The exterior has a drive-thru lane with serving a new “Hut ‘N Go” menu, which features new digital menu boards and serves its most popular foods in an attempt to reduce wait times.

The remodeled restaurant is the same size and has the same number of employees as the previous version, which was in place for 25 years. Pizza Hut is testing the design in Plano, Texas, near the company’s corporate headquarters. It will then potentially roll it out to other cities across the United States, although it has about 2,000 of the redesigned restaurants in 80 markets around the world. The Texas location includes some added touches, such as the touchscreen kiosks and the front-facing pizza making station.

Pizza Hut started off as a full-service restaurant before the rise of many of its competitors in the pizza delivery space. In recent years, Pizza Hut and other chains have faced competition from third-party delivery services, giving customers more options for delivered meals. Pizza Hut’s domestic same-store sales have declined each of the past four quarters and have been flat or down in seven of the past 11 quarters.

“From its physical layout to its modern design and digital-forward capabilities, this new restaurant showcases Pizza Hut’s legacy of innovation and unique ability to meet changing guest needs in ways that are distinctive to our brand,” Pizza Hut CEO Aaron Powell said in a statement. “Beyond just serving delicious pizza, which we do very well, it’s equally as critical that our guests enjoy a seamless experience with us that feels personalized to their tastes and needs. This restaurant format harnesses the power of these priorities and, as a result, creates magic that only Pizza Hut can offer.”

The prototype, which emphasizes the in-restaurant experience, is a departure from the brand’s recent strategy of opening smaller takeout and delivery locations with a mobile order pickup lane available in some spots.

“At Pizza Hut we are laser focused on amplifying the experience for everyone who engages with our brand, and we understand that guest experience – particularly one that combines delight with digital convenience – can be a key differentiator,” said Shannon Garcia, Pizza Hut’s president of global franchise markets and global operations, in a statement. “For example, the digital and tech-driven features of this restaurant design in particular – from order kiosks to self-access pick-up cabinets to the digital drive-thru menu – help guests easily guide their own journey with Pizza Hut and allow our restaurant team members to better serve them.”

The full article about Pizza Hut's new restaurant prototype can be found here.