The First Pizza Hut

A student business

Pizza Hut was started on 31 May 1958 by two brothers, Dan and Frank Carney, who were students at Wichita State University in Kansas. Their mother lent them $600 to get going.

The business took off quickly. Within six months they opened a second location, and within a year they had six. They began franchising in 1959.

Why Pizza Hut

The name came from a practical problem. The sign on their small building only had space for eight letters. Pizza took five, which left three, and the building did look a bit like a hut.

In 1963 the chain adopted its famous building style with the red roof, designed by the Chicago architect George Lindstrom. That roof became one of the most recognisable shapes in American roadside architecture.

Pizza and nutrition

Pizza nutrition depends heavily on crust and toppings. A thin crust with vegetables is far lighter than a thick, cheese-stuffed crust loaded with processed meats, which add saturated fat and salt.

One practical approach is to decide on the number of slices before you start and to add a salad. Chain nutrition pages list calories per slice for each crust and size, which makes comparing easier.

The first building lives on

The original Pizza Hut building was saved and moved to the Wichita State University campus, where it now tells the story of the chain's beginnings.

From one small building with an eight-letter sign, the chain grew to roughly 20,000 restaurants around the world.

Pan pizza and the delivery era

Pizza chains changed how families eat at home. Thick, golden pan pizzas baked in oiled pans became a signature style for many chains, with a crisp, almost fried edge and a soft middle.

Later, delivery and online ordering turned pizza into one of the most popular meals to order in. Today most chains show nutrition for every crust, size and topping on their websites, so you can build a lighter pizza with thin crust, vegetables and less cheese if you want one.

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