Ten new crust flavors. Five new premium ingredients. Four new flavor-packed drizzles. New Skinny Slice Pizzas. Eleven new specialty recipes. All available with six signature sauces. Plus, a revamped digital experience at pizzahut.com, a new logo, new box and relaxed uniforms. It goes without saying that this will mark the biggest change that Pizza Hut and the pizza category has ever seen.
"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."
Available nationwide Wednesday, November 19, the new menu – dubbed the "Flavor of Now" – will feature all the Pizza Hut classics like Meat Lover's®, Stuffed Crust, and Supreme that long-time fans love, but transform what consumers will come to expect from pizza with bolder flavors and nearly infinite possibilities (more than 2 billion) to customize. The Flavor of Now menu includes 10 incredible, all-new crust flavors like Honey Sriracha, Salted Pretzel and Ginger Boom Boom, six signature sauces like Premium Crushed Tomato and Buffalo, new premium ingredients like Salami, Fresh Spinach and Peruvian Cherry Peppers and delicious drizzles like Balsamic.
Those who prefer to leave the culinary imagination to Pizza Hut won't be disappointed, as the new menu introduces 11 new "Explore Flavor" recipes, like the 7-Alarm FireTM (premium crushed tomato sauce, pepperoni, sliced banana peppers, Peruvian cherry peppers, sliced jalapeno peppers and fresh green peppers on a Hand-Tossed Crust with a fiery red pepper crust flavor) and the Old Fashioned MeatbrawlTM (classic marinara sauce topped with classic meatballs, fresh red onions and diced Roma tomatoes flavored up with Hut Favorite crust flavor on Pan crust). "We know that American tastes and preferences are evolving, and this new menu is designed to completely wow them," said Pizza Hut Global Executive Chef Wiley Bates, III. "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."
Skinny Slice Pizza
Pizza Hut is also conducting a nationwide rollout of Skinny Slice Pizzas, made from a thinner version of Pizza Hut's Hand-Tossed Crust. Five special recipes for Skinny Slice Pizzas have been hatched like the Skinny ClubTM (creamy garlic parmesan sauce, hardwood-smoked ham, diced Roma tomatoes and fresh spinach with a toasted Asiago crust flavor). All five special recipes feature 250 calories or less per slice.
"We are so excited to be offering such a wide range of flavorful and delicious pizzas that also happen to have fewer calories than our other pizzas," said Pizza Hut Senior Nutritionist Rachel Huber, MPH, RD. "Nobody wants to feel like they're sacrificing flavor when they're counting calories, and with our new line of Skinny Slice Pizzas, they'll never need to."
A Whole New Pizza Hut
While the expanded menu will be the most noticeable change at Pizza Hut right away, it's far from the only one. Online ordering will not only be available in both English and Spanish on mobile and Web, but it'll be more interactive and visual thanks to a revamped digital experience, making it easier to quickly choose from the expanded menu.
Pizza Hut will look different, too, as the iconic red roof logo has been contemporized, along with delivery boxes, cups and even employee uniforms.
All of these changes will be heralded in a national advertising campaign celebrating the "Flavor of Now."