Taking the pizza – and giving pasta

Published on Monday 6 October 2008 21:44

HITTING the hut will never be the same again. For pizza is no longer going to feature in the name of one of Britain's best-know chains of eateries.

In an effort to overhaul the company's image – and its menu – Pizza Hut is changing its name, the company announced in yesterday.

And the brilliant branding transformation? After 35 years of trading in the UK under the old moniker, the company will now become … Pasta Hut.

The rebranding is part of an 100 million six-year refurbishment programme that will revamp the chain's restaurant interiors, introduce a new menu and extend its number of outlets.

This year alone it has spent more than 17m updating some of its 700-strong UK chain and said a further 24m will be invested in refurbishment and new store openings in 2009 and 2010.

Known for it large, calorie-filled offerings, in a bid to fall in with Food Standards Agency guidelines it has introduced a new pasta menu and made some of its existing recipes more healthy.

In 2004 the company launched a programme to reduce salt in its food, and says it is working to meet the FSA's salt targets for 2010.

All traces of hydrogenated vegetable oils have been removed from the menu, and there is an ongoing saturated fat removal programme.

The children's menu will now include "hidden vegetables" and a complimentary side salad.

Alasdair Murdoch, Pizza Hut's chief executive, said: "We have made significant changes to the business over the past few years and we wanted to create a moment in time for people to sit back and take notice.

"With 120 refurbished stores, the introduction of a great new pasta range to the menu and big nutritional changes, I am confident that people will like what they see when they come into our restaurants."

Pizza Hut has also focused on its online business, which it launched in March 2007.

In June this year it took its millionth online order and web sales now contribute 18 per cent of its entire delivery sales.

Pizza Hut was launched in the UK in 1973 and has more than 700 restaurants across the country.