Pizza Hut invests £1.7m in Scottish restaurant estate
Pizza Hut has today announced plans to invest more than £1.7m in its Scottish estate as part of its UK-wide re-imaging programme.
The focus on Scotland will see new openings and the extension and redesign of existing sites, including a new restaurant that opened in Hamilton Palace Retail Park last week.
Elements of the Pizza Hut dining experience to undergo a revamp include its Ice Cream Factor, salad bar and buffet, which the company said will all be put centre stage as part of a new interactive design.
A central preparation station will offer a range of desserts, including warm cookie dough, a waffle machine, speciality drinks and a self-service soft drinks hub. The menu has been overhauled to introduce ribs, wings and fries, while a new bar area serving draught Budweiser beer will also be available at selected restaurants.
Jens Hofma, Pizza Hut Restaurants managing director, commented: "Our first Scottish restaurant opened in Edinburgh in 1981, and today we have more than 30 Huts in the country so our estate has grown enormously.
"Hamilton, Glasgow and Inverness are some of our most popular restaurants and hugely important for our business, so we wanted our loyal guests in these areas to be among the first to enjoy this exciting new Pizza Hut Restaurants experience."
The latest stage of investment is part of a broader £60m refurbishment and restructuring programme of the business, secured through private equity investment from Rutland Partners in late 2012.
The transformation of 14 Pizza Hut restaurants in Scotland will be complete by the end of 2014, including sites in Edinburgh, Stirling and Ayr.