Markets 
Hut, Hut, Bite!
Pizza Hut is ditching “pizza,” at least for now.
The popular pizza chain announced Wednesday that it will be dropping “pizza” from its name to go simply by “hut.” The temporary change coincides with the start of the 2026 NFL season.
“You can just call us HUT for the next 25 weeks,” the brand wrote on a social media post that features a photo of one of their locations. The snap shows a banner with a football on it covering the word “pizza” on a sign outside the store.
The photo was taken at a Plano, Texas location, where the chain is headquartered, according to local outlet WFAA. The chain also updated its social media avatars with a logo sans the word “pizza.”
The Post reached out to Pizza Hut for comment on their name change.
The changes come as Pizza Hut’s parent company, Yum! Brands, prepares to sell the chain to private equity firm Long Range Capital for a reported $2.7 billion.
In a June press release, Yum! said it expects to make about $2.3 billion in net proceeds from both deals.
LongRange agreed to acquire Pizza Hut’s operations, excluding mainland China, for around $1.5 billion, while Yum China Holdings will purchase operations in mainland China in a separate deal worth $1.2 billion.
“Under LongRange and Yum China, Pizza Hut will be well positioned for future growth with ownership that brings deep expertise in the restaurant industry,” Yum! CEO Chris Turner said.
“Pizza Hut was built by the passion and dedication of our team members, employees and franchisees, and we’re excited for the next chapter.”
Early this month, Yum! Brands said the sale was on track to go through this month.
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