Pizza Hut

Leadership

David Gibbs to retire as CEO of Taco Bell owner Yum Brands

The longtime executive of the fast-food restaurant chain owner will retire in the first quarter of 2026. The company will start a search process for his successor.

Marketing

Restaurants jump through hoops to lure March Madness fans

College basketball fever goes beyond sports bars and wing joints this year, as steakhouses, pizza chains and Asian concepts compete to score big.

Yum Brands, which also owns KFC, Pizza Hut and Habit Burger, said it is collaborating with the technology company to integrate AI into the chains’ restaurants.

Instead of the usual $3.14 specials, The Plano, Texas-based pizza chain asks fans to strut their creativity with Instagrammable pie-wings-and-dips boards.

Byte by Yum will consolidate the technology capabilities the company has developed or acquired over the years.

The Bottom Line: How did one of the pizza chain’s largest franchisees fall out of favor with the brand and lose nearly 90% of its value in just three years?

The pizza chain itself is among the buyers who won the right to buy restaurants owned by the bankrupt EYM Group for nearly $12 million. The locations are in Illinois, Wisconsin, Georgia and South Carolina.

Parent company Yum Brands terminated the franchisee, IS Gida, saying the operator failed to meet the company’s standards. The franchisee operated more than 500 restaurants in Turkey.

The chain is testing a new restaurant design with a drive-thru, kiosks and mobile order pickup stations. The location also features a “Hut ‘N Go” menu with items ready to go.

The Bottom Line: Major pizza brands like Domino’s, Papa Johns and Pizza Hut are trading share with independents. And fast-casual brands are in decline. The sector has a smaller market, thanks to third-party delivery.

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