Los Angeles, Sacramento markets join trial program
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After a trial run of its beer delivery test in Phoenix, Pizza Hut said it is expanding the program to 100 locations in Arizona and California.
The company is offering delivery of two packs and six packs of beer, ranging in price from between $3 and $4.50 for two packs and $5.99 and $10.99 for six packs. Six beer options are available: Budweiser, Bud Light, Blue Moon, Coors Light, Miller High Life and Shock Top.
Pizza Hut, a division of Louisville-based Yum Brands, rolled out the beer delivery test in the Phoenix area late last year with three beer varieties. Starting this month, delivery has also been added at more Arizona locations including restaurants in Tucson, Glendale, Prescott, and Winslow.
In California, beer delivery is now available at participating restaurants in Los Angeles, Bakersfield, Fresno, Riverside, Sacramento, Santa Barbara and Santa Clara, the company said. In Southern California, restaurants in Anaheim, Huntington Beach and Redding will be adding beer delivery later this month.
Pizza Hut said free delivery will be offered in some Arizona markets when customers purchase select six-packs of beer.
In a previous interview with Nation’s Restaurant News, Pizza Hut said it intends to expand the beer delivery program quickly in 2018. Roughly 1,700 of Pizza Hut’s nearly 7,500 domestic locations already have liquor licenses. Pizza Hut operates over 16,700 restaurants in more than 100 countries.
The company previously said it is also considering adding wine delivery, but did not provide additional details on that rollout.
Beer delivery is not a new move for restaurant chains.
Several casual-dining brands are testing or considering similar programs, including Huntington Beach, Calif.-based BJ’s Restaurants, Minneapolis-based Buffalo Wild Wings and Dallas-based TGI Fridays.
Last week during its first quarter earnings call, Yum CEO Greg Creed said Pizza Hut remains in a turnaround phase.
Same-store sales increased 1 percent for the quarter, compared with a 3-percent drop the previous year. To improve sales, Pizza Hut must become “hot, fast and reliable” for the customer, Creed said.
Contact Nancy Luna at [email protected]
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