By Ben Coley
Pizza Hut’s U.S. footprint continues to shrink.
Yum! Brands announced Wednesday that the pizza chain plans to shutter roughly 250 underperforming domestic restaurants in the first half of 2026 as part of a “Hut Forward” plan. That comes after closing 375 U.S. restaurants in fiscal 2025. Pizza Hut finished last year with 6,307 domestic locations.
Meanwhile, Yum! is still attempting to inject life into the brand, noting a one-time contribution to marketing support, in addition to modernization of “certain technology and franchise agreements.”
Related: Pizza Hut Moved To Ditch Its ‘Red Roof’ Stores. Is It Working?
The brand is currently in flux. In early November, Yum! announced that it was exploring strategic options for Pizza Hut, which includes a potential sale. CEO Chris Turner said the process should be completed by the end of 2026, but declined to share any further details. The executive added that the upcoming closures are the “right answer for the brand as we move through the strategic review.”
“We are pleased with the Pizza Hut team’s dedication through this process, including their work with franchise partners to strengthen near-term results,” Turner said during Yum!’s Q4 earnings call. “Given the ongoing nature of the process, at this time, we cannot share further details on the strategic review.”
Pizza Hut has struggled to gain traction with consumers in recent years. U.S. same-store sales fell 5 percent in fiscal 2025 and 3 percent in fiscal 2024.
Despite the closures, Pizza Hut is still the second-largest pizza chain in America in terms of unit count, trailing only Domino’s.
Internationally, Pizza Hut is faring better, although the brand did shut down 68 restaurants in the U.K. in 2025. The segment’s same-store sales rose 1 percent in fiscal 2025 and in the fourth quarter. The chain identified momentum in the Middle East, Asia, and Latin America. Last year, the brand shuttered 1,060 international stores and opened 1,059, leaving it with 13,667 restaurants outside the U.S. borders.
Overall, Pizza Hut ended last year with 19,974 units systemwide.
U.S. system sales fell 7 percent, and European system sales dropped 3 percent in fiscal 2025. Otherwise, Pizza Hut saw a lot of positivity across the globe, including growth in China (+2 percent), Asia (+3 percent), Middle East/Africa (+8 percent), Canada (+2 percent), and India (+2 percent).
Ben Coley is editor of QSR magazine, sister publication to PMQ Pizza. This story originally ran on QSR.com.
