Pizza Hut's New Menu Turns Brand Upside Down In Hopes To Turn Things Around

By Christine Kern, contributing writer

Pizza Hut® Rolls Out Biggest Brand Evolution Ever With Its Flavor of Now Campaign

Starting November 19, Pizza Hut will have a whole new menu, designed to cater to its customers in a new, bold, and contemporary way.

According to a press release, the brand makeover will include 10 new crust flavors, 5 premium ingredients, 6 signature sauces and 4 new drizzles, 11 specialty recipes, as well as a new logo, box, uniform, and digital experience.

"Pizza Hut has been defining what's possible with pizza since 1958 and our newest changes are the most significant we've made in our history as we once again look to take the entire category to another level," said David Gibbs, CEO, Pizza Hut. "We are radically reinventing the pizza category with a menu transformation that more than doubles our amount of ingredients and flavors, a world-class digital ordering experience and an entirely new look and feel to our brand, all the way down to our uniforms.

"We couldn't feel better about the direction we're going and the long-term impact these changes will have on our business."

The rebranding follows two years of disappointing sales as consumers sought even more exotic flavors and personalized options, even as the chain’s sister brands – Taco Bell and KFC – have been experiencing general growth.  Pizza Hut, however, has stumbled, and the eight consecutive quarters of same-store sales declines were responsible for a management reshuffle, according to USA Today. David Gibbs, who has been U.S president, was named CEO last week.

Among the new crust choices are Toasted Asiago and Get Curried Away, with sauce options like barbecue and premium crushed tomatoes. The brand has also introduced signature pizzas like the Sweet Sriracha Dynamite and the Hot and Twisted.

But some suggest that the changes are too broad and too confusing, and might turn away customers.  "Pizza Hut may be doing too much too quickly," says Darren Tristano, executive vice president at Technomic, the restaurant industry research specialist. "It would appear that the brand that has lost touch with the consumer is trying to change too much overnight." He suggests a more gradual approach because, among other things, all of these changes could particularly confuse the chain's traditional customers.

And the Huffington Post wrote “Pizza Hut’s New Menu Makes Us Cringe,” saying the new makeover is like “the wild west of pizza-making (or at least it will be until the wacky choices eventually lose their wow-factor as they're seen over and over again at the thousands of Pizza Huts across the nation). “

With virtually limitless combinations and “more than two billion” ways to customize a pizza, according to the press release, customers are likely to either love it or hate it. Only time will tell whether or not Pizza Hut’s gamble will pay off.

"We know that American tastes and preferences are evolving, and this new menu is designed to completely wow them," Pizza Hut Global Executive Chef Wiley Bates, III, said in the press release. "While some customers will be finding ways to bring flavors to the pizzas they've fallen in love with, others may be trying them for the first time. And, with so many options, there's definitely something for everyone."