Today, Pizza Hut, LLC, is a multinational pizza restaurant chain and an international franchise. It was founded in 1958 by brothers, Dan and Frank Carney, in Wichita, Kansas. It’s in its 66th year.
According to Statista, Pizza Hut had 19,866 restaurants worldwide as of 2023 which was an increase over its previous year. There was a drop in 2020 most likely due to the pandemic.
The Carney brothers
Interestingly, the Carney brothers were students at Wichita State University when they opened their first pizza location. Within a year, they had six locations.
An early employee of Pizza Hut was Bill Parcells who went on to become a Pro Football Hall of Fame head coach. He was a student and football player at Wichita State University at the time. Allegedly, he thought about having a franchise but chose coaching instead and became a head coach in the NFL.
In 1959, they began franchising their brand. By 1963, Chicago architect, George Lindstrom, designed their most distinctive building with the red roof.