Pizza Hut Inc. is the largest pizza restaurant company in the world in terms of both the number of outlets and the percentage of market share that it holds. The company i... Keep Reading

Pizza Hut Inc. is the largest pizza restaurant company in the world in terms of both the number of outlets and the percentage of market share that it holds. The company is a subsidiary of PepsiCo, Inc. Pizza Hut has more than 11,000 pizza restaurants and delivery outlets in 90 countries worldwide. In October 1997, the company expected to become a subsidiary of Tricon Global Restaurants, Inc. when PepsiCo spun off its restaurant holdings.
Pizza Hut was founded in 1958 by brothers Dan and Frank Carney in their hometown of Wichita, Kansas. When a friend suggested opening a pizza parlor which they agreed may be a good idea. They borrowed $600 from their mother to start a business with partner John Bender. Renting a small building at 503 South Bluff in downtown Wichita and purchasing secondhand equipment to make pizzas, the Carneys and Bender opened the first Pizza Hut restaurant; on opening night, they gave pizza away to encourage community interest. A year later, in 1959, Pizza Hut was incorporated in Kansas, and Dick Hassur opened the first franchise unit in Topeka, Kansas.
In the early 1960s Pizza Hut grew on the strength of aggressive marketing of the pizza restaurant idea. In 1962, the Carney brothers bought out the interest held by Bender, and Robert Chisholm joined the company as treasurer. In 1966, when the number of Pizza Hut franchise units had grown to 145, a home office was established to coordinate the businesses from Wichita Kansas.
In 1994 several changes resulted in the company's first decline in operating profits in 15 years. The pizza market was no longer growing; fast food rivals cut prices; and investment in new outlets was draining corporate resources. PepsiCo's restaurant division saw sales in restaurants open at least one year fall six percent in 1994, contributing to a drop in profits of 21 percent (to $295 million).