Pizza Hut has suddenly closed eight stores in two states, causing a big upset among its customers and employees.
Last Friday's unexpected shutdowns surprised everyone, with many customers and workers saying they received no prior warning.
Pizza Hut has shut down several stores in Indiana and Ohio, as confirmed by a spokesperson to The U.S. Sun. In Ohio, a few stores in Columbus were closed, but the company stressed its commitment to continue offering excellent service and products in the region.
The spokesperson mentioned that they are actively working on changing the Indiana locations and are optimistic about reopening many soon.
Additionally, the spokesperson noted that customers could use the locator tool on Pizza Hut's website to find the nearest open store.
In the meantime, several managers from the affected restaurants have updated their status on Facebook, giving hope to local fans about possible reopenings.
Pizza Hut Closes Multiple Central Ohio Locations
Pizza Hut has recently closed several of its locations in central Ohio. The affected restaurants include those at 5837 Sawmill Road in Dublin, 4514 Kenny Road near Upper Arlington, 3643 S. High St. near Obetz, and 1076 Parsons Ave. near Merion Village.
According to NBC4, all four locations have been removed from the Pizza Hut website, and calling their numbers leads to a prerecorded message stating the closure and redirecting callers to nearby locations still in operation.
The voicemail at the Kenny Road location expressed regret for any inconvenience caused by the closure, thanking customers for their past support and inviting them to visit other nearby Pizza Hut locations.
NBC4 sought clarification from Pizza Hut regarding when these closures occurred and their reasons but did not receive a response.
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Following these closures, the number of Pizza Hut locations in central Ohio has been reduced to 21, with three of these-located in Reynoldsburg, Pickerington, and Canal Winchester-operating only during limited evening hours. The other local restaurants continue to operate during their regular hours.
These closures follow a pattern seen with O'Charley's last year, which also abruptly closed several of its restaurants in the Columbus area.
The recent shutdowns of local pizzerias, including the well-known Tommy's Pizza near Ohio State's campus, reflect a continuing trend of restaurant closures in the region.
Sudden Closures Hit Pizza Hut in Indiana
Over a dozen Pizza Hut locations in Northwest Indiana were abruptly closed, confirmed by the Texas-based pizza chain, per NBC Chicago.
As of Friday night, the company's website listed 15 locations as closed, including Portage, Chesterton, Valparaiso, Hobart, Winfield, Crown Point, Schererville, Griffith, Hammond, Merrillville, LaPorte, Michigan City, Lowell, Cedar Lake, and Munster.
The Times of Northwest Indiana newspaper reported that several local Pizza Hut employees shared on social media that all the Northwest Indiana locations owned by EYM Group were shut down without prior notice.
They mentioned that all employees were dismissed and advised to file for unemployment benefits due to the closures.
Earlier this month, Pizza Hut filed a lawsuit against EYM Group, alleging breach of contract. In a prior lawsuit, on March 15, EYM Group had sued Pizza Hut in Texas, also claiming a breach of contract, as reported by the NWI Times.
A Pizza Hut spokesperson told NBC Chicago that while some franchisee-operated restaurants are temporarily closed, Pizza Hut remains dedicated to providing excellent service and products.
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