The future of Emporia’s Pizza Hut is in question after its franchisee filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy last month.
NPC International says it franchises over 1,200 Pizza Hut locations and another 400 Wendy’s restaurants. It filed for bankruptcy last month. It has since reached an agreement with Pizza Hut’s owner, Yum! Brands. As part of that arrangement, NPC will close as many as 300 of its pizza restaurants and sell the rest.
The stores marked for closure have “significantly underperformed” other restaurants, but NPC’s leadership was also doomed by coronavirus-related closures, crippling debt approaching $1 billion and rising labor and food costs.
Pizza Hut had been located on West Sixth for years before moving to 2920 West 18th in 2007. Pizza Ranch moved next door the following year, and traffic at Pizza Hut has struggled ever since.
NPC International tells KVOE News no decisions have been made on which restaurants will be closed or when they will be closed.
