Pizza Hut Confirms Hundreds of U.S. Closures as Sales Slide and Future of Brand Faces Uncertainty

Pizza Hut will close hundreds of U.S. locations in 2026 as the chain responds to declining sales and mounting pressure to restructure its business.

Yum! Brands confirmed on Wednesday, February 4, that roughly 250 Pizza Hut restaurants across the country are expected to shut down by the end of the year. The announcement came during the company’s earnings conference call, where CEO Chris Turner outlined the scope of the closures and the reasoning behind them.

The planned shutdowns target underperforming stores and make up about 3 percent of Pizza Hut’s total U.S. footprint. An executive on the call said the move is intended to support “a longer-term acceleration of the brand,” adding that “targeted closures of underperforming units” would be implemented in the coming months.

Chief Financial Officer Ranjith Roy said approximately 250 locations are expected to close during the first half of 2026. He also noted that Pizza Hut recorded a 1 percent same-store sales decline globally in the final quarter of 2025. While U.S. performance lagged, Roy said the brand saw growth in regions including Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East.

The closures arrive months after Yum! Brands revealed it was exploring strategic options for Pizza Hut, including a potential sale. In a November 2025 press release, Turner addressed the challenges facing the brand.

“The Pizza Hut team has been working hard to address business and category challenges; however, Pizza Hut’s performance indicates the need to take additional action to help the brand realize its full value, which may be better executed outside of Yum! Brands,” he said. “To truly take advantage of the brand we’ve built and the opportunities ahead, we’ve made the decision to initiate a thorough review of strategic options.”

At the time, the company emphasized that there is “no assurance this review will result in any specific outcome or transaction.”