Pizza Hut to close 250 US stores, brand could be sold

Pizza Hut plans to close 250 US restaurants in the first half of 2026 as its parent company considers a sale of the chain.

Yum Brands on Wednesday said it is targeting underperforming Pizza Hut restaurants in its system. Pizza Hut has more than 6000 locations in the United States.

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Yum Brands said in November it was conducting a formal review of options for Pizza Hut, which has struggled with outdated stores and growing competition.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 US same-store sales, or sales at locations open at least a year, fell five per cent in 2025, Yum said.

Rival Domino’s, the world’s largest pizza company, hasn’t yet released its full-year earnings, but its US same-store sales were up 2.7 per cent in the first nine months of 2025.

Internationally, Pizza Hut’s results have been stronger. International same-store sales were up one per cent in 2025, with growth in Asia, the Middle East and Latin America, Yum said. China is Pizza Hut’s second-largest market outside the US, accounting for 19 per cent of sales.

Yum CEO Chris Turner on Wednesday said 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. It opened nearly 1200 stores across 65 countries in 2025, but closures outpaced that. Yum said 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.