Saturday, July 11, 2015

Is the Red Roof Coming Back as Pizza Hut Repositions?




Back in the day Pizza Hut had restaurants, yes real restaurants that dotted the country side.  In fact Pizza Hut had over 2,200 of them.  Today, stifled by competitor’s unit number market share gains, brand relevance, and sales declines Pizza Hut franchisees are mounting a brand resurgence on their own. 

One Pizza Hut franchisee in Texas developed his own ‘recast of the brand’ as a sports bar, that comes with a full bar, multiple flat-screen TVs, game tables for pool, and shuffleboard.  On top of that is growing franchisee to franchisee in fact it has been “duplicated 13 times in Texas, at two locations in Minnesota and is about to be cloned in Michigan.”

This is not your parents Pizza Hut however. The new menu feature more sandwiches and appetizers, and a buffet that is offered at lunch to speed service. In fact the one in Minnesota has pool tables, shuffle board and more than 15 televisions. Even the walls are decorated with sports memorabilia and neon beer signs. 

The next question is Will they deliver?  You betcha they will deliver pizza but beer and drinks? Well don’t count on that today.  But if states allow and franchisees have a say beer and liquor just might be delivering the results for Pizza Hut. 

Steven Johnson is the Grocerant Guru at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions®, with extensive experience as a public speaker, multi-unit operator, consultant and brand/product positioning expert. Outside Eyes can provide inside results.  Interested in a product, or brand scorecard? Contact: 253-759-7869 or Steve@FoodserviceSolutions.us

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