The Longest-Running Pizza Hut in America Is Closing Up Shop After nearly 55 years in business, the Manhattan, Kan., location is shutting down.
By Kate Taylor
Opinions expressed by BIZ Experiences contributors are their own.
After more than half a century of serving up pizzas, this Pizza Hut is going dark.
On Sunday, the nation's longest-running Pizza Hut will close up shop, reports The Topeka-Capital Journal. The restaurant, located in Manhattan, Kan., opened nearly 55 years ago in 1960.
Franchise owner Bernie Butler, who owns the unit as well as dozens of others, says the location had been struggling financially and wasn't equipped to adapt to changing pizza trends. While he valued the history of the location, he says that the increasing focus on delivery over dine-in was something this Pizza Hut was not designed to handle.
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Employees have been offered new jobs at other Pizza Hut locations, reports The Topeka-Capital Journal.
Pizza Hut was founded in 1958 in Wichita, Kan.
Today, Pizza Hut has more than 11,000 locations around the world. However, it has struggled in recent years to keep up with the competition, with a recent menu revamp failing to bring the swift sales growth the brand needs.
Correction: the oldest Pizza Hut in America is located in Manhattan, Kan.
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