Pizza Hut is slicing the "pizza" from its boxes and some store signs. The fast food chain will now brand some stores as simply "The Hut."
However, contrary to earlier reports, the iconic chain won't be changing its name, a Pizza Hut spokesman said Friday. The boxes and some store signs will say "The Hut." Others will retain the Pizza Hut name.
Pizza Hut has recently expanded its menu beyond pizza to include pasta, giving it some reason to alter its branding. Media and advertising trade publication MediaWeek characterized the name change as an attempt to transform its stores into hip hangouts. There are more than 10,000 Pizza Huts worldwide.
The new "Hut" stores will be more than simply places to place a delivery order, according to MediaWeek. They will include televisions that broadcast programs such as "Wheel of Fortune" and "Entertainment Tonight."
The company has tried to become more hip and youth-friendly in recent months. In April, it introduced the Pizza Hut "Twintern," an employee who uses the online service Twitter to update customers about store events and pop culture news.
This isn't the first time for Pizza Hut parent Yum Brands to change the branding of one of its iconic restaurant chains, which include Taco Bell. In 1991, the company rebranded Kentucky Fried Chicken as KFC. Recently, to highlight the company's healthier grilled chicken offerings, the company has referred to the KFC brand as KGC.
In other news related to YUM, two California residents are reportedly suing the KFC chain for failing to give them a free grilled chicken sandwich. The customers are claiming that a sandwich giveaway promoted by Oprah Winfrey was a "bait and switch" scheme aimed at getting folks in the door to buy other menu items, according to The Associated Press. KFCs were overwhelmed by demand for the sandwiches.