It all started back in 1958 at Wichita State University, by two young & innovative students and brothers, Frank and Dan Carney, who were considering a career in Electrical Engineering.

Pizza was relatively unknown in Wichita at the time, however, with the bold suggestion of their landlady, they decided on a venture that would mark their names in history. Frank and Dan borrowed US$600 from their mother and opened the first Pizza Hut restaurant on 15 June 1958. The small 25 seat restaurant only had room for 9 letters on the sign… the building looked like a hut… so 'Pizza Hut' was born!

By September, the restaurant was earning a gross income of US$700 to $800 a week and by December over $1,800 a week. Another two restaurants soon followed. The Carney brother’s vision and drive developed a brand that has become a worldwide success.

Today, Pizza Hut is the largest and best pizza distribution system in the world. It is part of Yum Restaurants International!, the world’s largest restaurant group with restaurants in nearly 100 countries around the world.


Pizza Hut - Cyprus

Cyprus had its first taste of Pizza Hut pizza in 1991 when Z. K. Franchised Restaurants was founded by Messers Kyriakos Zivanaris, Pankaj Khimji and Lysandros Ioannou in Nicosia as a private company and in November, 1991 the first Pizza Hut Restaurant opened in Strovolos, Nicosia. This marked a new era for Cyprus as it was the first franchise restaurant chain. Success grew fast and more restaurants and delivery/take away stores were opened all over Cyprus.

Awards were not difficult to be won, and in 1993 the US Trade Department awarded an honorary diploma to Z.K. Franchised Restaurants in recognition to its activities and success in bringing a new American product to the Cypriot market.

The growing success necessitated the opening of a modern CALL CENTRE in 1998, a first for Cyprus and one of many pioneering visions of the company.

In 1999 the company entered in the Cyprus Stock Exchange and the name was changed to PHC Franchised Restaurants Public Ltd.

The on growing success never seizes and currently the company continues in the opening of more stores with an astonishing number of 29 Pizza Hut units all over Cyprus.

In 2007 PHC Franchised Restaurants Public Ltd. also boasts of being the 1st in Europe of opening WingStreet stores in Cyprus, a Yum Brand. 2007 saw the beginning of these delicious breaded buffalo wings and by 2009 the stores reached the astonishing number of 14 throughout Cyprus.