Pizza Hut Sri Lanka celebrates 18th birthday

From humble beginnings at its inception, Pizza Hut crosses the threshold today as a veteran in the restaurant industry. Their pioneering efforts have indeed revolutionised the industry in Sri Lanka and 18 years later, here they stand, along with their hotline of 2729729 as a name that is synonymous with good, hot food, even delivered to your door, right on time.

Pizza Hut opened its flagship store at Union Place in 1993, initially as dine in only, but soon branched out into delivery as well. Its quick success led to the opening of many more outlets in different parts of the island and under the guidance of the international YUM restaurants chain.

The total number of express, takeway and dine-in outlets will be brought up, inclusive of one at Majestic City which opened last month and Nawala, Kottawa and Yakkala which will make the total number 24 on their 18th year. An additional six more outlets outside the perimeters of Colombo are in the works as well.

The journey that has taken Pizza Hut Sri Lanka to such astounding heights though sometimes peppered with hardship, has been one primarily made up of a lot of dedication and a team that works together flawlesslyand one that is truly passionate about what they do.

“The team at Pizza Hut is one of our greatest assets and is quite possibly the primary reason as to why we have become what we are today,” says Yasa Nadarajah, Managing Director of Gamma PizzaKraft Sri Lanka, which is the company that administrates the chain.

“Each and every member of our team has a genuine interest in the future of this company and that interest is mirrored in all of the services we provide. We have grown in leaps and bounds over the past 18 years and I think that at this juncture, we can all feel proud at what we have achieved.”

From starting out as a pizza delivery brand, Pizza Hut Sri Lanka has now added even more variety to their ever growing and ever changing menu. Apart from the wide array of pizza toppings and crusts, they have now branched out into starters, pastas, beverages and desserts.

“In the beginning, we were mostly known for pizza, but within the last few years we have expanded to include many more exciting additions in our menu,” said Ramzeena Lye, Director of Marketing.

“It’s all about choice now at Pizza Hut and you can order a complete meal, including drinks and desserts. By having such an extensive menu, we are now able to cater to all kinds of tastes, making the family dining experience that much more convenient. Also, taking into account changing food trends, we introduced a range of pastas at competitive prices as well, which further cemented the idea that there is so much more than pizza at Pizza Hut.”

Perhaps another crucial factor that affects their popularity is that Pizza Hut has a solid understanding of the Sri Lankan palate. The people truly love the satisfying pan pizza crust and two of their best sellers are the Devilled Chicken topping, which is indigenous to the island as well as Hot and Spicy Chicken. “Our loyal customers do love their spice! So we try to incorporate that in whatever way we can and since we know their tastes so well, it is always a success,” said Ramzeena. “Even the new range of pasta has a Spaghetti with chicken and sausages which has a little bit of a kick to it!” she added.

The future seems even more promising for Pizza Hut, with the opening of new outlets both this month and in the next few years. It is estimated that their growth will be exponential and their customer base will remain as always on the upward trend.