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Michigan Pizza Hut company history timeline

1970

In early 1970 Frank Carney decided that the company practice of relying on statistics from its annual report to inform its business strategy was inadequate, and that a more developed, long-term business plan was necessary.

In 1970 Pizza Hut opened units in Munich, Germany, and Sydney, Australia.

1971

By 1971 Pizza Hut had become the number one pizza chain in the world in both sales and number of restaurants, and expansion continued throughout the decade.

1973

In 1973 Pizza Hut expanded further by opening outlets in Japan and Great Britain.

1977

PepsiCo Buys Out Company in 1977

1980

To raise its profile, Pizza Hut introduced "Pan Pizza" in 1980 throughout its network.

1983

The aim was to make a quick, affordable pizza the ideal lunchtime meal. For example, in 1983 Pizza Hut introduced "Personal Pan Pizza," offering customers a five-minute guarantee that their single-serving pizzas would arrive quickly and steaming hot.

1984

In 1984, he turned a broom closet from his father’s tavern, Mick’s Lounge, with a funding of $1600 for equipment, to deliver pizzas.

In 1984 Steven Reinemund was appointed president and chief executive officer of Pizza Hut.

1986

In 1986 Pizza Hut opened its 5,000th franchise unit, in Dallas, Texas, and began its successful home delivery service.

1988

Another addition to the chain's menu was "Hand-Tossed Traditional Pizza," which would be introduced in 1988.

1990

In 1990 Pizza Hut opened its first restaurant in Moscow.

During the 1990's Pizza Hut tried numerous strategies to slow Papa John's growth.

1991

Company sales at the pizza chain were up ten percent worldwide to $5.3 billion in 1991 as growing health awareness and the popularity of vegetarian lifestyles had prompted many people to reconsider pizza as a nutritious alternative to greasy fast food fare.

Competition in the United States was heightened in 1991 when McDonald's, the world's largest hamburger fast food chain, put "McPizza" on its menu in several test markets and even offered home delivery to customers.

In 1991 PepsiCo had restaurant outlets in 80 countries worldwide.

1992

In 1992, the Book It! program involved more than 17 million students in North America alone, and Pizza Hut received letters of endorsement that year from President George Bush and Secretary of Education Lamar Alexander.

A lunch buffet was introduced in 1,800 units in 1992, and the next year the chain rolled out its Bigfoot Pizza—two square feet of pizza cut into 21 slices—as well as the Chunky Style Pizza.

1994

Continued robust growth attracted celebrity endorsers to the brand, with soccer legend Pelé becoming one of the first when he kicked a ball through the door of Pizza Hut restaurant number 10,000, in Sao Paulo on April 13, 1994.

1995

Some indicators were promising: market share rose from 25.6 to 27 percent; 1995 sales increased 16 percent to $5.2 billion; and operating income rose to $414 million, up 40 percent from the year before.

In 1995 Pizza Hut launched a new ad campaign featuring the tag line "You'll Love the Stuff We're Made Of." That same year, Buffalo Wings—spicy chicken wings served with dipping sauce—were added to the menu.

1997

In January 1997 the company announced plans to spin off this restaurant division, creating an independent publicly traded company called Tricon Global Restaurants, Inc.

1998

There were more product introductions in 1998 to mark Pizza Hut's 40th anniversary year.

In 1998, however, Domino's did make a dent in consumer consciousness with the introduction of heat-retaining delivery bags known as HeatWave pouches, which allowed pizzas to be delivered with the cheese still hot and the crust still crisp.

1999

In January 1999 the Dallas-based chain introduced the Big New Yorker Pizza.

Donnelly, Frank. "Pizza Ads Another Success for Chambers Hill Native." Harrisburg Patriot, February 1, 1999.

As of 1999, about 17 percent of all restaurants were pizzerias, and the industry was continuing to grow.

2022

© 2022 Michigan Economic Development Corporation.

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Founded
1970
Company founded
Headquarters
Saint Joseph, MI
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Michigan Pizza Hut competitors

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Macayo's Mexican Restaurants1946$58.0M1,000-
Doro Inc-$73.0M1,250-
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Sizzling Platter1963$230.0M5,000-
H & K Partners LLC2000$41.0M7003
Bear Rock Cafe1997$5.7M5-
Logan Farms - SHV1984$2.1M50-
Laughing Planet Cafe-$3.9M1038
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Fourteen Foods-$405.0M7,500250

Michigan Pizza Hut history FAQs

Zippia gives an in-depth look into the details of Michigan Pizza Hut, including salaries, political affiliations, employee data, and more, in order to inform job seekers about Michigan Pizza Hut. The employee data is based on information from people who have self-reported their past or current employments at Michigan Pizza Hut. The data on this page is also based on data sources collected from public and open data sources on the Internet and other locations, as well as proprietary data we licensed from other companies. Sources of data may include, but are not limited to, the BLS, company filings, estimates based on those filings, H1B filings, and other public and private datasets. While we have made attempts to ensure that the information displayed are correct, Zippia is not responsible for any errors or omissions or for the results obtained from the use of this information. None of the information on this page has been provided or approved by Michigan Pizza Hut. The data presented on this page does not represent the view of Michigan Pizza Hut and its employees or that of Zippia.

Michigan Pizza Hut may also be known as or be related to MICHIGAN PIZZA HUT INC, Michigan Pizza Hut, Michigan Pizza Hut Inc and Michigan Pizza Hut, Inc.