The first thing one typically thinks of when presented with an iconic restaurant name such as Pizza Hut tends to be a slice of warm, cheesy pepperoni pizza. Or perhaps even a box of garlic breadsticks with a side of marinara sauce. Many delicious options come to mind, but I am willing to bet that the last thing that enters your brain is a cheeseburger with a side of fries.
Starting this semester, the Pizza Hut that resides in the Stomping Grounds is getting a slight menu makeover. Now when you walk up to order, traditional pan pizza is not your only option; instead, you now get to consider spending your money on burgers and french fries. Sound a little strange? Absolutely, but it might just be what the university’s only pizza supplier needs to better their business and appeal to a greater, less pizza-savvy crowd.
“As a company, Pizza Huts all around the country are currently able to sell items that aren’t pizza related on their menus, but many choose not to,” said current Walb Pizza Hut employee, Joseph Wright. “We were contacted by corporate who gave us the green light for this decision.”
After discussing the matter with Wright, it was revealed that the university Pizza Hut decided to start selling this massive menu change on the basis that they could appeal to more students. Taco Bell, which resides right beside Pizza Hut in the lower level of Walb, gets a decent amount of business from hungry students on their lunch breaks between classes. But what makes students more apt to gulp down burritos over breadsticks? The price difference, of course.
Although Pizza Hut offers a wide variety of food choices, their prices are a tad bit steeper than their neighboring competition, hence the reasoning behind introducing hamburgers and french fries to the menu. With this new variety of food, more students can be reached as there are not any other venues on campus that offer the classic hamburger. And if you are worried about the price of this new item, never you fear. For roughly the same price as a personal pan pizza, or even a box of breadsticks, you can try one of these new hamburgers. The price is nothing to be scoffed at since it is just as affordable as any other item on the menu.
“We were a bit put off at first about the decision, since hamburgers and fries are so vastly different from pizza, but all in all… I feel as if it’s going to be a good decision,” said Wright.
A good business decision, sure, but the student body’s reaction to the changes happening in Walb’s lower level is the most important factor. In terms of judging this decision, the only way to tell if this will warrant positivity is to go straight to the source: the students.
After discussing this change with a few people around campus, the outlook was overall pretty good. Most students said that they would be open to trying Pizza Hut’s newest menu addition, but one student, current IPFW sophomore, Jason Staltz, said otherwise.
“Pizza Hut serving hamburgers and fries just isn’t natural. Nothing about the name of the company says, ‘Hey, we sell hamburgers.’ I don’t think people will be willing to shell out the money when they can just go off campus to McDonalds like usual,” said Staltz.
Only time will tell how this new change will appeal to the student body, but until then, why not hustle down to the Stomping Grounds and try out a burger for yourself? And who knows, maybe before long, Taco Bell will start offering sushi or even meatloaf to their menu to keep up the friendly competition.
