More than a year after first testing beer delivery in Arizona, Pizza Hut said Monday it will expand the pilot program to 300 restaurants in seven states by mid-January.
Restaurants in Florida, Iowa, Nebraska, North Carolina, and Ohio will add delivery of popular domestic beer labels such as Budweiser as part of a second phase expansion of the program. In May, the division of Yum Brands added beer delivery to 100 locations in Arizona and California. Those states will also see more restaurants adding beer delivery in the coming weeks.
“The rollout is a brand priority with Pizza Hut aiming to grow beer delivery capabilities to 1,000 restaurants across new markets by summer 2019,” the company said.
Pizza Hut, based in Plano, Texas, said the company timed the expansion to meet the demands of the Super Bowl, a popular day for pizza delivery.
“As the official Pizza Sponsor of the NFL, we’ve been celebrating football fans all season long, so it only makes sense for us to bring more customers the beloved combo of pizza and beer ahead of the Super Bowl,” chief brand officer Marianne Radley said in a statement. “We are proud to be pioneers of beer delivery and are well-poised to take on more markets in the coming year.”
The current beers available for Pizza Hut beer delivery include 2-packs and 6-packs of Blue Moon, Bud Light, Budweiser, Busch Light, Coors Light, Corona Extra, Kilt Lifter, Michelob Ultra, Miller Lite, Miller High Life, Shock Top and Stella Artois. The company did not provide costs.
Customers will be required to prove they are of legal drinking age at the time of delivery by showing a valid form of identification and completing a form for the restaurant’s records, the company said. Online orders that include beer will feature a pop-up prompting users to confirm they are of legal age.
In May, when beer delivery expanded in California and Arizona, the prices ranged between $3 and $4.50 for two packs and $5.99 and $10.99 for six packs.
Beer delivery comes amid perception problems for the brand.
At a recent Yum investor conference, company leaders said many consumers still don’t know that Pizza Hut delivers. Yum CEO Greg Creed said that is especially true in parts of the country where legacy “red roof” dine-in Pizza Hut restaurants still exist.
Over the past year, Pizza Hut has worked to revitalize the brand through value promotions and a focus on growing delivery and carryout-focused restaurants.
In the third quarter of last year, Pizza Hut’s same-store sales declined 1 percent, which included a 3 percent decline at international restaurants and a 1 percent gain in the U.S.
Pizza Hut has more than 16,800 restaurants around the world. Of those, about 7,500 are in the U.S.
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