MANITOWOC – Pizza Hut moved from Manitowoc’s downtown to Calumet Avenue in late 2024. Could it now be closing?
The Pizza Hut chain announced Feb. 4 it plans to close 250 “underperforming” locations in the United States in the first half of 2026 as its parent company, Yum! Brands, Inc., continues a strategic review of the struggling brand.
The company made the announcement during a Feb. 4 Yum! Brands earnings call.
Chief Financial Officer Ranjith Roy said that the move was part of “Hut Forward,” a strategy which includes “vibrant marketing, modernization of technology, and franchise agreements.”
“While we don’t share specific details of franchise agreements, we are pleased to be working in partnership with our franchisees on increased efforts to deliver near-term sales while advancing long-term strategy,” Yum! Brands told Restaurant Business Online in an emailed statement.
The closure announcement comes as Pizza Hut’s store sales in the United States declined by 3% in the fourth quarter of 2025, while other Yum! Brands’ restaurants, like Taco Bell, saw sales increases of 7% during the same quarter.
While it wasn’t announced what locations are closing, the Pizza Hut franchise in Manitowoc recently opened a new store on the corner of the former Shopko site, 3415 Calumet Ave.
According to CBRE.com real estate, that site is for sale. Tennants within the old Shopko building include Ross Dress for Less, Dunham’s and Harbor Freight, with Pizza Hut in a corner of the parking lot closer to Calumet Avenue.
“The 250 stores that we mentioned is a very small portion of the 20,000-unit estate that Pizza Hut has globally,” Roy said during the earnings call. “And it is the right answer for the brand as we move through the strategic review.”
Streetwise Manitowoc will let readers know whether the closures include the Manitowoc store as we learn more.
Contact reporter Patti Zarling at pzarling@usatodayco.com or call 920-606-2575.
This article originally appeared on Manitowoc Herald Times Reporter: Manitowoc Pizza Hut’s fate unknown as 250 stores in US set to close
Reporting by Patti Zarling, Manitowoc Herald Times Reporter / Manitowoc Herald Times Reporter
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
