Pizza Hut Tries Out a New Name: Pasta Hut

Posted by Kim on Oct. 6, 2008

In an attempt to attract customers with a healthier and more diverse menu, Pizza Hut has announced plans to temporarily rename thirty of its UK restaurants Pasta Hut. Earlier this year, Pizza Hut introduced two pastas on its US menu: Creamy Chicken Alfredo and Meatball Marinara. And more recently, it started serving Bacon Mac N Cheese. Pizza Hut representative Alasdair Murdoch explained that for the past five years, they have been trying to offer more “variety and quality” for their customers:

The chain . . . is replacing its pizza-focused menu with a menu consisting mainly of pasta dishes.

This means that as well as the traditional deluxe pizzas, customers will also have the option of ordering more sophisticated dishes such as tomato and mozzarella mezzaluna and prawn and crayfish arrabiata.

[...]

Mr Murdoch said they have also upgraded their distinctive salad bar and have made improvements in areas including the nutrition and quality of ingredients in their pizzas and pastas.
A statement from the company also says that the restaurant plans to sneak ‘hidden vegetables in kids’ meals’.

The re-naming is for a trial period only and customers can offer their thoughts on the new-look restaurants at Pastahut.co.uk.

While I applaud Pizza Hut for attempting to offer more variety and healthier options (although, looking at the nutritional facts, the pastas are not actually all that healthy), I’m not sure how well Pasta Hut would go over here in the States. Pizza Hut already announced the name change in the US earlier this year, but Pizza Hut claims it was merely an April Fools Day joke.

Pizza Hut has been doing pizza since before I was born, and they should stick to what they do best. Also, hiding vegetables in dishes like Creamy Chicken Alfredo or Bacon Mac N Cheese might not do so much for their nutritional value.

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  • Dana
    Perhaps the dumbest thing i have heard all day (and I spent 4hours in the ER today listening to the crazies). The Pizza Hut name has been embedded in our culture for 60 years. It was the first pizza franchise... It rolls out 3 new pastas and all of a sudden it thinks its the new Olive Garden... Pasta Hut, I call shenanigans.

    PS- Do you think at the completion of the Book-It program you would get a pasta of your choice instead of a personal pan pizza. I would totally pretend to home school a child for some Bacon Mac & Cheese!
  • teqjack
    A statement from the company also says that the restaurant plans to sneak ‘hidden vegetables in kids’ meals’.

    Oh goody, potential life-threatening situation and series of lawsuits coming up!

    Yes, I am one of those allergic (admittedly, in my case only to the extent of projectile vomiting, not death) to a number of vegetables, especially peas. I am sure there are some youngsters in the UK with similar difficulties.
  • Dennis
    Maybe I'll stop there on my way to the Dress Barn, or maybe I'll just find a marketing firm that knows what they're doing.
  • Jon
    Is there a version of April Fools day in England that falls in October? This is clearly a stunt just like it was in the U.S. It would be ridiculous for them to actually formally change the name.
  • Maryam
    Kim, once again you have educated me about an important topic! Do they actually think people are stupid enough to believe the menu items at Pasta Hut is healthier than Pizza Hut?
  • It's not surprising that established companies experiment changing their respective brand names in order to adjust their marketing strategies. Just hope that this move would do them well.
  • I think, it is all based on market demand. when market demand increases for pasta, Pizza hut marketing strategy take to catch it, among which is the way rename a Pizza Hut with Pasta Hut
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