The Daily Populous Friday February 6th, 2026 evening edition
Authored by abcnews.go.com and submitted by AudibleNod

Pizza Hut plans to close 250 U.S. restaurants in the first half of this year as its parent company considers a sale of the chain

Pizza Hut plans to close 250 U.S. restaurants in the first half of this year as its parent company considers a sale of the chain.

Yum Brands said Wednesday it’s targeting underperforming Pizza Hut restaurants in its system. Pizza Hut has more than 6,000 locations in the U.S.

Louisville, Kentucky-based Yum Brands said in November it was conducting a formal review of options for Pizza Hut, which has struggled with outdated stores and growing competition. The chain’s U.S. same-store sales, or sales at locations open at least a year, fell 5% last year, Yum said.

Rival Domino's, the world's largest pizza company, hasn't yet released its full-year earnings, but its U.S. same-store sales were up 2.7% in the first nine months of last year.

Internationally, Pizza Hut’s results have been stronger. International same-store sales were up 1% last year, with growth in Asia, the Middle East and Latin America, Yum said. China is Pizza Hut’s second-largest market outside the U.S., accounting for 19% of sales.

Yum CEO Chris Turner said Wednesday that the company plans to complete its review of options for Pizza Hut this year. He declined to share further updates on the process.

Pizza Hut ended 2025 with 19,974 stores globally, which was 251 fewer than it had the previous year. Pizza Hut opened nearly 1,200 stores across 65 countries last year, but closures outpaced that. Yum said Wednesday that Pizza Hut plans more global openings in 2026 but it didn’t give details.

Pizza Hut was founded in 1958 in Wichita, Kansas. PepsiCo acquired the chain in 1977 but spun off its restaurant division — which became Yum Brands — in 1997. Yum Brands also owns KFC, Taco Bell and Habit Burger & Grill.

battleofflowers on February 6th, 2026 at 14:45 UTC »

Instead of closing stores, why not rebrand with the ORIGINAL recipes and restaurants?

MeasurementNo0 on February 6th, 2026 at 14:41 UTC »

Have you thought about doing a combination pizza hut and taco bell?

Not_A_Clever_Man_ on February 6th, 2026 at 14:36 UTC »

You just cant have declining quality as well as increased price compared to the rest of the market. Eventually no one wants to eat there under any circumstance.