Pizza Hut is temporarily shedding the "pizza" from its name, rebranding as simply "Hut" for the duration of the 2026 NFL season. The change, announced Wednesday, aims to align with the start of the football season and will last for approximately 25 weeks.
The brand announced the shift on social media, featuring an image of a Pizza Hut location with a banner covering the word "pizza" on its sign, replaced with a football graphic. The company also updated its social media avatars to reflect the shortened name.
This rebranding effort occurs as Pizza Hut's parent company, Yum! Brands, is in the process of selling the chain to private equity firm Long Range Capital. The sale, expected to be finalized this month, is valued at approximately $1.5 billion for operations outside of mainland China. Yum China Holdings will separately acquire the mainland China operations for $1.2 billion.
According to Yum! CEO Chris Turner, the sale will position Pizza Hut for future growth under new ownership with significant expertise in the restaurant industry. Yum! Brands anticipates net proceeds of about $2.3 billion from these transactions.