Pizza Hut unveiled Tuesday a new prototype with a traditional drive-thru lane and strong in-restaurant presence, meant to elevate convenience and experience for customers.
Some stores have the Hut Lane, which is for picking up mobile orders. This new drive-thru features a “Hut ‘N Go” menu that offers items that can be ordered and immediately picked up at the window.
Inside, the Plano, Texas-based restaurant has self-service kiosks, pickup cabinets, a guest-facing pizza-making station where customers can see the entire process up close, and dining room seating. The new location—showcasing a “significant update in its exterior and interior aesthetics”—replaced an older Pizza Hut format that stood in that spot for 25 years.
“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/delivery locations with a mobile order pickup lane available in some spots. The prototype appears to be a middle-ground design between the current off-premises-only units and the previous red-roof casual-dining restaurants from years before.
This prototype is a first-of-its-kind in the U.S., but it’s already been used in nearly 2,000 international stores and over 80 markets. Data shows the new design drives a better guest experience, more transactions, and in-restaurant traffic versus previous prototypes, according to Pizza Hut. Joseph Call, global chief development officer, called it an “effortless blend of physical and digital touchpoints and increased human interaction around the joy of pizza.”
The design centers around the guest experience, according to Shannon Garcia, president, global franchise markets and global operations.
“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,” Garcia said 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.”
Pizza Hut U.S. could certainly use the boost. Domestic same-store sales fell 1 percent in Q3 and 3 percent year-to-date. The chain felt momentum from My Hut Box and a detailed marketing plan around the Chicago Tavern Style Pizza, which translated to positive traffic growth for the full quarter and ahead of the QSR industry. But this product news wasn’t enough to compete against the deep discounting happening around the industry.
In May, Pizza Hut announced former Wendy’s global CMO Carl Laredo as its new U.S. president. It also named Kalen Thornton as the new global chief brand officer and Melissa Friebe as the new U.S. CMO.
Pizza Hut finished Q3 with 6,537 units in the U.S., after closing 140 stores and opening 71 since the beginning of 2024.
