Why Redditors Have A Huge Problem With Pizza Hut
"No one out-pizzas the Hut." This bold claim of pizza superiority belongs to none other than Pizza Hut. And for what it's worth, Pizza Hut does have some impressive achievements to brag about. The whole chain was born from a small $600 dollar loan given to founders Dan and Frank Carney by their mother (via Pizza Hut's history). From there, they went on to serve pizzas to guests like then-First Lady Barbara Bush (via The Daily Meal) to former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, per Eater. And to say nothing of the chain's famous breadsticks! It seems that, at first glance, Pizza Hut really can out-pizza the competition — or can it?
In recent times, Pizza Hut has been suffering from a lack of dine-in customers, leading to the pizza chain leaning heavily on express and carryout delivery (via Restaurant Business Online). In 2020, the chain was forced to shutter 300 locations, most of which can be presumed to be dine-in locations (via CNBC).
Perhaps it is these reasons that contribute to what some see as Pizza Hut's most glaring problem: How did the chain get so expensive?
Redditors see Pizza Hut as too expensive
On the subreddit r/PizzaHut, user u/MrFist0 posted a brief but scathing rant about Pizza Hut and its prices. "Tried ordering 2 large pizzas, breadsticks, and wings and with all of the fees and a tip it came out to over 80 dollars!" the user wrote. "I could go get good takeout or actual good pizza from a decent restaurant for that price," they continued, ending with a blunt expletive directed towards Pizza Hut. Other Redditors also seemed to notice that Pizza Hut's prices seemed to be on the rise.
"Just checked online and they raised the prices again by another dollar for the large 3 topping carry out. It's now 13.99," reported a second user. "Combine tax and a "service fee" and its $16.74. Non-carryout is 15.99." This user elaborated that, in their area, Pizza Hut is "literally more expensive than my local pizza places."
"Yeah it's crazy.. I like Pizza Hut but I can get a large at Dominos for $7 (without tip) and I think the price in my area for a large is $13 without tip at PH," a third user noted.
According to Pizza Informer, the reason Pizza Hut is so expensive compared to chains like Domino's or Little Caesar's is because of the chain's operating costs, such as dining and in-house staff. It seems that, should you find yourself craving some Hut, it wouldn't hurt to try and use some menu hacks to try lowering Pizza Hut's high prices.