Pizza Hut to close 250 U.S. locations in first half of 2026

While Pizza Hut’s advertising says “No one out pizzas the Hut,” it appears the competition is outselling it, at least in some areas. On Wednesday, Pizza Hut confirmed the global pizza chain is closing 250 locations in the U.S. in the first six months of 2026.

According to National Restaurant News, Yum Brands — the parent company of Pizza Hut — made the announcement during a quarterly earnings call. Yum Brands chief financial officer Ranjith Roy said the closures are part of a new strategic plan known as “Hut Forward.”

Yum Brands did not provide a list of the underperforming stores that will shutter in the coming weeks and months. Pizza Hut operates an estimated 6,500 locations in the U.S., meaning the closure of 250 stores represents a 4% decrease in restaurants.

The closures come as the pizza chain continues to struggle in the U.S. and has experienced closures internationally. Pizza Hut reported its 2025 system sales declined to $3.47 billion, down from $3.61 billion in 2024. Global store count was down by 251 locations year-over-year as well.

That was fueled in part by mass closures made by a franchisee in Europe in October 2025. While Yum Brands bought some of those locations to prevent them from closing, 68 restaurants and 11 delivery sites were closed by the franchisee.

In November, Yum Brands announced it was conducting a strategic review of Pizza Hut, which included exploring a possible sale of the company. That review is ongoing, but executives were unable to give much of an update during Wednesday’s call.

“As of now, we intend to complete the review of options this year,” said Yum Brands chief executive officer Chris Turner. “Given the ongoing nature of the process, at this time, we cannot share further details.”