Pineapple Express: Someone Is Wrong on the Internet?

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

I don't think I've seen an old school Pizza Hut location anywhere in California. I'm not sure if they even exist now, although you can still see the iconic roofs on whatever businesses replaced them.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

I don't think I've seen an old school Pizza Hut location anywhere in California. I'm not sure if they even exist now, although you can still see the iconic roofs on whatever businesses replaced them.

They’ve gone to a new, boxier design aesthetic.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

They’ve gone to a new, boxier design.

In California, they appear to be limited to takeout and delivery locations only, typically in strip malls.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

In California, they appear to be limited to takeout and delivery locations only, typically in strip malls.

I noticed that even some of the free standing locations that had a more retro silhouette had ditched the iconic red color for their rooftops. At least some of that is probably down to local city ordinances.

And even where they exist, the free standing locations are rare.

But that’s not just The Hut- it’s much harder finding dine-in pizza joints of ANY kind these days.

Cici’s seems to dominate that niche. I’ve seen a Marcos near me. But my favorite local pizzeria closed a couple years ago- I suspect the owner died, retired or moved back to Sicily), leaving me with a single (but good) locally owned pizza joint. Nearly everyone else serving pizza near me is a full Italian restaurant.

We also have a couple of über trendy places that are typically a combination of pricey and packed, like Cane Rosso (as featured on Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives) and Eno’s (whose crusts are unfortunately cracker thin).

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Pizza Hut, like a lot of brands, occasionally seems to get ashamed of its own branding and run away from it. (See also the interior McDonald's now looking like a generic Starbucks.)

All of these companies should ignore the consultants telling them that if they were more generic, they'd make more money. I'm skeptical that it works in the short run and in the long run, you're chipping away at what people love about your brand.

How many people can vividly remember going to a Pizza Hut back in the day, drinking out of the textured red cups, having a plastic pitcher of soda for the table, over which hung a faux Tiffany lamp?

 

[Thomas Shey]

Most of the salad bar chains I used to hit- like Sweet Tomatoes and Soup R Salad- collapsed (locally, at least) well before COVID. Golden Corral collapsed during/after the pandemic.

Souplantation (which I think was an alternate name for Sweet Tomatoes on the West Coast) and Golden Corral survived up until COVID locally (as did Home Town Buffet). I think we might still have a Golden Corral but I haven't looked in a while.

I think Pizza Hut dine-in locations still have them, but I haven’t been in one in YEARS. The closest to me is at least a 20 minute drive in a direction that is simultaneously not generally convenient AND on the way to superior options.

I didn't even know Pizza Hut still had dine in locations.

 

[Ryujin]

Pizza Hut, like a lot of brands, occasionally seems to get ashamed of its own branding and run away from it. (See also the interior McDonald's now looking like a generic Starbucks.)

All of these companies should ignore the consultants telling them that if they were more generic, they'd make more money. I'm skeptical that it works in the short run and in the long run, you're chipping away at what people love about your brand.

How many people can vividly remember going to a Pizza Hut back in the day, drinking out of the textured red cups, having a plastic pitcher of soda for the table, over which hung a faux Tiffany lamp?

That was pretty much how I spent at least one day a week, during my college years.

 

[Thomas Shey]

Pizza Hut, like a lot of brands, occasionally seems to get ashamed of its own branding and run away from it. (See also the interior McDonald's now looking like a generic Starbucks.)

All of these companies should ignore the consultants telling them that if they were more generic, they'd make more money. I'm skeptical that it works in the short run and in the long run, you're chipping away at what people love about your brand.

How many people can vividly remember going to a Pizza Hut back in the day, drinking out of the textured red cups, having a plastic pitcher of soda for the table, over which hung a faux Tiffany lamp?

My preference always ran more to Round Table Pizza when I was leaning in that direction and looking for a chain.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

That was pretty much how I spent at least one day a week, during my college years.

The Pizza Hut buffet a block from my apartment was a weekly staple for me in law school.

I actually preferred the Mr. Gatti’s buffet- more variety. But they were a bit of a convoluted drive.

 

[Ryujin]

The Pizza Hut buffet a block from my apartment was a weekly staple for me in law school.

This used to be the local Pizza Hut that I went to, in College. Now there's a strip mall type location, a Km or so away from there, and a a subdued restaurant location, like he one previously posted, a few Km north of there.