Pizza Hut to close 250 US stores, brand could be sold
Pizza Hut plans to close 250 of its U.S. restaurants in the first half of 2026 as its parent company considers selling the chain.
Yum Brands said Wednesday it is targeting underperforming Pizza Hut restaurants in its system. Pizza Hut has more than 6,000 locations in the United States.
Louisville, Kentucky-based Yum Brands said in November it was conducting a formal options review for Pizza Hut, which is struggling with outdated stores and growing competition. The chain’s U.S. same-store sales, or sales at locations open at least a year, are down five percent in 2025, Yum said.
Rival Domino’s, the world’s largest pizza company, has yet to report full-year earnings, but U.S. same-store sales rose 2.7 percent in the first nine months of 2025.
Internationally, Pizza Hut’s results were stronger. International same-store sales will increase one percent in 2025, driven by growth in Asia, the Middle East and Latin America, Yum said. China is Pizza Hut’s second largest market outside the United States, accounting for 19 percent of its sales.
Yum CEO Chris Turner said Wednesday the company plans to complete its review of Pizza Hut options this year. He declined to share further updates on the process.
Pizza Hut finished 2025 with 19,974 stores worldwide; this was 251 fewer stores than the previous year. It opened approximately 1,200 stores in 65 countries in 2025, but closures have outpaced that. Yum said Pizza Hut is planning more global openings in 2026 but did not provide details.
Pizza Hut was founded in Wichita, Kansas, in 1958. PepsiCo acquired the chain in 1977, but spun off the restaurant division in 1997, which became Yum Brands. Yum Brands also owns KFC, Taco Bell and Habit Burger & Grill.
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