The Once-Beloved Pizza Chain That's Just Not What It Used To Be, According To Customers

Everyone looks back on their favorite childhood restaurants through rose-colored glasses, and it's all too easy to say that these eateries aren't nearly as good nowadays. This may be because customers refuse to accept change, but other times, they have legitimate reasons to complain. Such is the case with Pizza Hut, a chain that's no longer worth visiting, according to former fans.

As the third-largest pizza chain in the U.S. after Hunt Brothers Pizza and Domino's (via Scrape Hero), Pizza Hut's popular menu items still appeal to many customers, but those who dined there for decades have noticed a decline in quality. Many point to the 1980s and early '90s as the Hut's heyday, back when its pies were made with fresh dough that was hand-tossed daily at each store. But in the late '90s to early 2000s, the chain switched to pre-formed, frozen crusts. While undoubtedly convenient and cost-saving, customers say the new crust is more rubbery than chewy yet soft, with no flavor to speak of. Others say the crust is too doughy or constantly undercooked, and many diners complain that Pizza Hut's pies have shrunk in size. Toppings may steal the show, but you simply can't have good pizza without a solid foundation.

That said, Pizza Hut's toppings aren't exactly gourmet, either. According to former staff members, individual locations used to cut fresh vegetables in-house, the sauce used real tomato puree as the base, and the cheese was fresh, not frozen. But over the years, many of these essential ingredients were switched to frozen, pre-processed versions.

According to employees, the only toppings at Pizza Hut that aren't shipped frozen are the sauce and a few vegetables. Customers think the cheese has suffered greatly, as one Redditor wrote: "I remember as a kid [...] the cheese would stretch like 3 feet [...] Now it's plasticky, tasteless and breaks clean with each bite". Another user said that when they worked at Pizza Hut, the "sauce was just paste and water mixed together in less than a minute," and customers have called it off-puttingly sweet. More than one staff member has likened the chain's meat toppings to dog food, and customers have even claimed they were served off-tasting meat. In our taste test of pepperoni pizzas from popular chains, we didn't think Pizza Hut's pepperoni was that bad, but we weren't impressed with the pie overall and ranked it in second-to-last place.

The Pizza Hut item that customers mourn the most is the iconic pan pizza, which was originally brought to the table in a hot pan, creating an extra crispy crust loaded with melty cheese and toppings. But since Pizza Hut changed its food, the pan pizza has been called weirdly sweet, skimpy on the toppings, and worst of all, that once-special crust is too thick, doughy, and nothing like its former self. One Redditor lamented, "I grew up on Pizza Hut in the '90s and everything about the pan pizza was perfect ... I swear it's like they're trying to kill what made them famous."

Another aspect of Pizza Hut's downgrade is that the restaurants are shadows of their former selves. The Hut was once the place to be on weekend nights and birthdays, defined by red leather booths and logo chandeliers, Pizza Hut buffets and salad bars, arcade games, jukeboxes, and other entertainment for kids. Sadly, in the 2000s, Pizza Hut began prioritizing delivery and carryout, giving restaurants modern renovations with little to no seating, which increased efficiency and decreased maintenance costs. 

The death blow came in 2018, when parent company Yum! Brands emphatically moved away from traditional "red roof" Huts, closing thousands of locations to transform the chain into a delivery-focused business. As part of this mission, Pizza Hut will shutter 250 more locations in 2026. Diners who adored the original Hut now see it as just another sterile, generic chain. One Reddit user said of a traditional Hut, "Back when restaurants had character. Now everything looks like a modern business office with their logo slapped somewhere on it." Another user wrote, "Without the vibe I'd rather stay home and get delivery from somewhere else." 

Now, Pizza Hut isn't totally ignorant of customers' feelings. In 2019, the company changed its pan pizza to have a crispier crust and higher-quality toppings, and has also re-renovated some locations into ​​old-school Pizza Huts that feel like you're back in the '90s. But to many fans, these attempts at restoring goodwill will never make up for the loss of the Pizza Hut of yore.