For the past four years, Pizza Hut has held a global competition in which team members from across the world compete to see who can make the best Pan and Stuffed Crust pizza. Last week, following an exciting battle between teams from 12 countries, Pizza Hut named the Bahrain team as the 2024 Global Pizza Hut Champion.
The event highlights Pizza Hut's commitment to core menu excellence in terms of execution, taste and innovation – and for the first time ever, this year's Championship was held in person in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Each team consisted of a restaurant general manager (RGM) and team member demonstrating their speed and precision in the pizza making process and expert cutting techniques. In addition to claiming the Global Pizza Hut Champion title, the first-place winners also received a "Global Gold Pan" trophy and a cash prize of $3,000.
"Pizza Hut operates across many geographies and cultures with unique tastes and needs, but the thread that connects all of our restaurant teams is their dedication to consistently providing guests with craveable pizza – no matter where they are in the world," said Shannon Garcia, President, Global Franchise Markets & Global Operations, Pizza Hut. "The Global Pizza Hut Championships showcase the common passion our teams have for connecting people through the joy of pizza and allow us to celebrate and recognize them for their inspiring skills and hard work."
Entry to the Championships is open to any Pizza Hut team across the 110 countries where the brand operates. Each team competes within their region over the summer before finalists are selected to represent their country at the event. This year's finalist teams hailed from Bahrain, Canada, Egypt, Portugal, Guatemala, Honduras, Indonesia, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, United Kingdom and United States.
The winning duo from Bahrain stood out by flawlessly crafting Pan and Stuffed Crust pizzas in record time and delivering a clear, concise assessment that showcased their mastery of global brand standards for pizza making.
"We spend many hours of hard work and dedication to perfect our pizza making, and I hope this competition inspires Pizza Hut restaurant teams around the world to be the best by showing that we have a global, world-class operation everywhere," said Clara, the Restaurant General Manager on the winning team from Pizza Hut Bahrain. "Winning the Global Pizza Hut Championships shows that we don't just sell pizza – we also have a passion for pizza making and a love for the Pizza Hut brand."
The Global Pizza Hut Championships also included a "Make Table Magic" innovation contest, where team members showed off their creativity by developing pizza innovations. This year's winning innovation was the Dakgalbi Pizza from Korea – a customizable, shareable pizza experience that blended the fiery spice of marinated chicken and vibrant veggies, all smothered in a variety of delicious cheeses. To add to the fun, the Championship also included a "Winning Recipe" cheer competition filled with spirited performances that combine culture and creativity.
