How innovation and nostalgia are working for Pizza Hut

No one outpizzaed the Hut in the first quarter. Can Pizza Hut keep it up? David Graves, president of Pizza Hut U.S., joined me on the “A Deeper Dive” podcast this week to discuss the state of the brand and how its efforts have won over customers. Pizza Hut struggled for years but appears to have turned a corner more recently. Its 8% same-store sales growth in the first quarter outpaced its pizza delivery competitors. Much of that is due to the brand’s innovation, including its Melts sandwiches. We talk about that product and its ability to generate a different type of sales for the brand. We also talk about the impact third-party delivery has had on Pizza Hut, and about consumers’ nostalgia for the brand. Graves discusses many other things, including technology and artificial intelligence. We’re talking Pizza Hut on this week’s A Deeper Dive so please have a listen.