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Pizza Hut, the 68-year-old chain that has long struggled with growing competition and outdated restaurants, will be sold for $2.7 billion by parent company Yum Brands.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

SNIP

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

[dfwgator]

They ruined Whataburger.

[Wallace T.]

If you live outside of the Northeast or other areas where large numbers of Southern Italians settled like Chicago, Detroit, and New Orleans, your choices are national chain pizzas or boutique pizzas with cauliflower dough and arugula, goat cheese, or imported chorizo and ground bison meat toppings.

[fidelis]

Strange; just a month ago there was a story posted here in FR that said Pizza Hut was making a comeback:

The Pizza Huts from your childhood are making a comeback. Here's why nostalgia sells

[Skwor]

Yaa, I was thinking of that very resurgence when I wrote my post. My wife and I were hoping to see it catch on and one near us open. Really would love to take my grandkids (8 so far) to such an experience, that is probably a pipe dream now.

[1Old Pro]

They ruined Whataburger.

When the sole focus is on money or savings etc, they lose the focus on quality and taste. In a competitive marketplace eventually saving money turns to losing money. Competition is good, wish we had it in k-12 education.

[packrat35]

Same here and it was full of people on dates doing the same.

[fwdude]

The kiss of death.

Every time.

All great businesses that I've dealt with became almost immediately unrecognizable as the new owners meddled to a fault. "If it ain't broke..." is an old tried and true proverb that new owners would do well to heed.

I think it's an ego thing.

[alternatives?]

I felt my first boob after a pizza at Pizza Hut.

[DFG]

LongRange Capital also owns 24 Hour Fitness.

[moviefan8]

Yup. Agree.

Pizza Hut will be broken up in parts.

When I had Pizza Hut in China a long time ago it was completely different than ones here.

[Responsibility2nd]

KFC and Taco Bell have never done much for me.

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

________________________________

I never understood the concept of having one fast food place branded as KFC/Pizza Hut/Taco Bell. Selling all three menus in one place.

Go back to stand alone stores.

[for-q-clinton]

Well they can do that now:

private equity firm LongRange Capital

Yum brands is a publicly traded company and they have to show shareholder value and try to increase it. Going private will allow them to do things like you suggest.

[Responsibility2nd]

You didn’t get pizza sauce on it did you?

[God luvs America]

Pizza Hut is to Italian Americans what Budweiser is to Irish Americans....

[j.havenfarm]

I wouldnt feed their food to my dog. Because I love my dog

[MinorityRepublican]

Pizza Hut used to be a family friendly restaurant

America is a different country in 2026 than it was 20, 40, 50 years ago.

No one wants to go inside a restaurant to sit down and eat pizza.

Take out or delivery (Domino's model).

[algore]

The Pizza Hut near me is not great pizza, but it is at least edible I can get a personal pan pizza today for $3 and for lunch, and no other place near me can touch that.

Dominoes on the other hand had a special where if you buy a pizza the next one is free, omg so nasty I did not even get the next one.

I wish there were still Shakeys or Round Table near me.

[Longdriver69]

They used to have a solid lunch layout, with the salad bar and buffett. Went perfect with a $5 Personal Pan Pizza.

[Bon of Babble]

I also wonder if people are eating less pizza?

I noticed my own kids (Millennial and Gen Z) don’t care for pizza - and the grandkids do not ask for it. We haven’t ordered pizza or gone out for it in ages.

[allendale]

No self respecting or rational Italian-American would ever eat the offerings of these corporate, faux pizza joints.