[UPDATE] Pizza Hut Closure Brings UTBAPH to Peachtree Corners

Yet another Pizza Hut has closed in metro Atlanta, this time in Peachtree Corners.  The restaurant, located in a freestanding building at 6045 Peachtree Parkway, closed last month leaving  the metro area with yet another UTBAPH (Used To Be A Pizza Hut).  In a move related to the closure, NPC International, the franchisee of the Peachtree Corners locations and hundreds of other Pizza Huts nationally, opened an inline location at Peachtree Parkway Plaza. The new 1,600 square foot location, is located to the right of center anchor Goodwill, along Spalding Drive.

Pizza Hut in June brought back their retro logo, originally launched in 1967 and last used chain-wide in 1999.  The logo, which prominently features the chain's red hut is accompanied by the tagline: "NO ONE OUT PIZZAS THE HUT."  The move to the largely "hut" centered logo is especially interesting given the chain's movements away from their physical huts.  

NPC, the nation's largest Pizza Hut franchisee with some 1,200 locations, has been trimming its number of freestanding "Hut" restaurants over the past several years as today's customer is increasingly more likely to order for take out or delivery than to have the desire to dine in.

While there are a dwindling number of Pizza Hut "hut" locations remaining, NPC continues to operate at least three in metro Atlanta on Main Street in Alpharetta and on Buford Highway in both Brookhaven and Buford. 

Locally, Amy Fingerhut of CBRE, assists NPC in their un-hut-ing efforts.  Earlier this year Fingerhut relocated other Pizza Hut restaurants in Loganville, Lilburn, Winder and Oakwood.  The new locations, which function primarily as delivery and carry-out, are referred to be the company as "Delco" or Delivery / carry-out.  

Nation's Restaurant News reported last week that Pizza Hut plans to close 500 underperforming locations over the next two years.  The company plans to, in most cases, replace shuttered dine-in restaurants with "modern express units."  

Comparing the prior and current Pizza Hut logos 

Some former Huts have found new homes as new restaurants [ DAS BBQ on Collier Road for instance] and other businesses while others like those near Decatur and Buckhead have been completely demolished for new locations of Starbucks and Chase Bank respectively.

More more UTBAPHs, both national and international, click here.

Pizza Hut, Papa John's, Marco's or Domino's, what's your favorite and why?  What would you like to see open in place of this shuttered Pizza Hut?  What has become of your local UTBAPH?

Please share your thoughts below