In early 2021, comedian Craig Robinson began appearing in a series of Pizza Hut commercials. The set for the commercials is familiar to anyone who ever dined at a Pizza Hut during the chain’s prolific era of the late ‘70s to the late ‘90s. The Pizza Hut so many of us grew up with had the distinctive slanted red roof, checkered tablecloths, red vinyl booths, stained glass lamps, the secondary salad bar, and piping hot pizza served in a hot skillet. Today, only 16 classic Pizza Hut restaurants still exist, including the ones in places like Tunkhannock, Penn., Kilmarnock, Va., Bryson City, NC, and Warren, Ohio. Today, most Pizza Hut restaurants are located in strip malls or grocery stores, many labeled as the new age “Pizza Hut Express” brand. Now, “Pizza Hut Classic” restaurants are those that have stayed true to the company’s roots. Soda still comes in those red cups, the stained-glass lamps still hang over the tables, the salad bar is still there, and pizzas are still delivered in skillets and placed on red checkered tablecloths. As for Pizza Hut's corporate headquarters, they don’t seem to acknowledge the existence of the classic restaurants, failing to promote them, choosing instead to just let them exist in peace.
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| Pizza Hut Classic vs Pizza Hut Express |
