Pizza Hut to close 250 underperforming stores nationwide in early 2026
Feb 5, 2026, 2:02 PM
A general view of a Pizza Hut restaurant on Oct. 22. (Photo: Alishia Abodunde, Getty Images)
(Photo: Alishia Abodunde, Getty Images)
Pizza Hut will close 250 stores nationwide during the first six months of 2026, its parent company announced Wednesday.
Yum! Brands, which also owns Taco Bell and KFC in addition to Pizza Hut, revealed during a Wednesday earnings call that the 250 stores closing were “underperforming” locations. The closures equate to approximately 3% of its U.S. footprint.
There are roughly 20,000 Pizza Hut restaurants worldwide.
The locations of which Pizza Hut stores will be shut down have yet to be revealed, as of this reporting. There are 100 Pizza Hut locations in Washington.
This vast closure has been in the works for months. According to The Associated Press, Yum! Brands began conducting a formal review of Pizza Hut in November, after it was revealed the chain’s U.S. same-store sales, or sales at locations open at least a year, fell 5% last year. Yum! Brands is calling the Pizza Hut rework the “Hut Forward” program.
After rumours and speculation that Yum! Brands could sell the chain to another company, CEO Chris Turner said Wednesday that the company plans to complete its review of options for Pizza Hut this year. He declined to share further updates on the process.
This is a developing story, check back for updates
Contributing: The Associated Press
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