Pizza Hut, where sales have lagged with arrival of delivery culture, will be sold for $2.7 billion

AP ^ | 06 16 2026 | MICHELLE CHAPMAN and DEE-ANN DURBIN

[yesthatjallen]

Pizza Hut, the 68-year-old chain that has long struggled with growing competition and outdated restaurants, will be sold for $2.7 billion by parent company Yum Brands.

Yum said Tuesday that the private equity firm LongRange Capital will buy Pizza Hut, excluding the mainland China business, for about $1.5 billion.

The mainland China Pizza Hut will be purchased by Yum China Holdings Inc. for approximately $1.2 billion, the company said. China is Pizza Hut’s second-largest market outside the U.S., accounting for 19% of sales.

Yum Brands, which also owns KFC and Taco Bell, began to explore its options for Pizza Hut in November. Last year, Yum Brands’ global sales rose 5% but Pizza Hut’s sales fell 2%.

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TOPICS: Business/Economy
KEYWORDS: food; pizza; pizzahut; sold

[Ultra Sonic 007]

“private equity firm”

The kiss of death.

[Skwor]

Just go back to the way Pizza Hut use to be, imho it would turn around enough to be a reasonable business.

Stop trying to be a massive billion-dollar corporation, just run the business employ people and make money.

[Delta 21]

Pizza Hut delivered pizza before it was a “culture”.

[Greg123456]

Yuck Brands is selling Pizza Yuck.

[PGR88]

There are scores of Italian, family-run pizza places near us, so I am thankful we don’t have to buy private-equity, corporate pizza

[Red Badger]

Pizza Hut used to be a family friendly restaurant that you took the kids to.

Then the corporations took over and they tried to be everything to everybody and it doesn’t work.

Just go back to making real pizza from scratch and make it great like it used to be..............

[packagingguy]

It’s time to say goodbye to Pizza Hut.

Private Equity has already taken our happy places like Red Lobster, Toys R Us, Joans’s, etc.

You can’t hate them enough.

[Skwor]

Pizza Hut will now likely become the blandest, cheapest ingredient, generic carboard reheated frozen pizza product of them all.

[Skwor]

Yaa, red Lobster’s food absolutely tanked over the years, welcome to the motto of “cheapest slop for the quickest return.”

[Dr. Sivana]

Pizza Hut delivered pizza before it was a “culture”.

Actually, Pizza Hut was WAY behind the curve on delivery. I worked in a Pizza Hut restaurant in the early 1980s. No delivery. Domino's, on the other hand . . .

[Larry Lucido]

Loved their $6.95 lunch buffets.

[PAR35]

private equity firm

Private equity generally means strip mining, then bankruptcy. Give them 2.5 to 3 years before they've gutted it.

[Paladin2]

KFC and Taco Bell have never done much for me.

I hope that the new owners don’t wreck The Hut.

[1Old Pro]

I’m amazed at the differences in the quality and taste of retail pizza. I’ve sampled about a dozen local mom and pop pizza shops. They range from fantastic (1 shop) to bland, to card board to no taste to toppings slide off, to terrible.

[desertsolitaire]

When I was dating the girl who is now my wife, in high school, we could go to dinner at Pizza Hut, split a medium 2-toppings (different on each half), drinks, tax and tip. Then we went to a movie across the street at the theater. All for $20. Lol. Pizza hut was a nice clean sit down place with sizzling hot food.

[dfwgator]

[Dr. Sivana]

Just go back to the way Pizza Hut use to be, imho it would turn around enough to be a reasonable business.

There has been a flurry of "classic" sit-down Pizza Hut restaurants opening recently. (I doubt the dough is made from scratch like it was when I was a cook in the '80s) Unfortunately, I am sure this sale will put a halt to that sort of behavior.

[Dr. Sivana]

Just go back to the way Pizza Hut use to be, imho it would turn around enough to be a reasonable business.

There has been a flurry of "classic" sit-down Pizza Hut restaurants opening recently. (I doubt the dough is made from scratch like it was when I was a cook in the '80s) Unfortunately, I am sure this sale will put a halt to that sort of behavior.

[Leaning Right]

Side note just because I feel like complaining. So many pizza places (both chains and the mom-and-pop ones) skimp on the toppings these days. To save 50 cents on each pie, I guess.

Way more dough than sauce. Order green peppers, and you might get two thin pieces on each slice. Etc. Those places have lost my business.

Fortunately for me, there’s a true Italian pizza place right up the road. How do I know it’s a true Italian place?

Because the workers yell at each other in Italian as they make the order.
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