Pizza Hut Abruptly Closes Locations, With More Closings Possible

The post-pandemic recovery of some brick-and-mortar restaurants has been an uphill battle.

Lately, some of the biggest restaurant chains in America have had to shutter locations across America.

Pizza Hut Abruptly Closes Locations Across America

Pizza Hut has abruptly closed 15 locations in the Midwest, and more than 120 locations are at risk of closing amid a nasty legal dispute with a franchisee.

It almost seems like an internal civil war between Pizza Hut and one of their larger franchisees. EYM Group — which owns 142 Pizza Hut locations in Illinois, Indiana, Georgia, South Carolina and Wisconsin — is accused of defaulting on millions of dollars in payments that Pizza Hut says it owed by a June deadline.

Pizza Hut, being the monster company that it is, did not take lightly to this franchisee's payment default, and immediately closed the doors of 15 of its restaurants owned by EYM Group.

In a case of "Don't bite the hand that feeds you," it seems that's exactly what EYM Group has done.

They stood up to Pizza Hut, claiming that they have failed to modernize their menus and digital ordering system, which puts them at a disadvantage.

Is the Problem Limited to Just a Few Pizza Huts?

No. According to CNBC, Pizza Hut’s parent company, Yum Brands, reported last month that same-store sales at Pizza Hut declined by 7 percent in its most recent quarter. So it seems as if the whole brand itself is in decline.

For the pizza consumer in America, this could be the beginning of the end of an era of family dining at the Hut.

Evan Paul is the host of Taste of Country Nights, a syndicated radio show heard on more than 130 country radio stations nationwide, every night from 7PM to midnight. He plays the best new country music and interviews today's top stars, like Luke Combs, Morgan Wallen, Kenny Chesney, Miranda Lambert, Dan + Shay, Keith Urban, Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan, Chris Stapleton, Lady A, + more!