One can argue that it was an American pastime. Where were you the first time you saw a Taco Bell/Pizza Hut combo restaurant?

Why Don’t We See Any More Pizza Hut/Taco Bell Combo Stores?

It’s simple. They did not work.

According to Yahoo, there was a perception issue with the public about how sanitary it was to have the two together.

Whether it is true or not, perception is reality when it comes to a business. Once the news spread about sanitation issues, leading to the shutdown of one location in NYC, the downfall of the combo chain started.

Let’s start off by going back in time a little bit to the early 2000’s. Yum! Brands, the owner of both Taco Bell and Pizza Hut, thought it would be a good idea to put the two brands together under one roof.

It was a strange idea to try to grasp at first. These two restaurants have wildly different menu items, yet they were both going to be available together — and even in drive-thru form.

If you’re thinking about it and realizing you haven’t seen any Pizza Hut/Taco Bell combinations lately, that’s not just your imagination. Starting in the 2010s, these began disappearing.

The original idea was for the combo stores to save money while providing a different experience for their guests. Yum! Brands thought, who wouldn’t want a personal pan pizza and a burrito at the same time?

Eventually, Yum! Brands began transitioning combo restaurants that clearly weren’t working into solo ones or simply closing them outright. It’s safe to say that Yum! Brands tried something innovative, but fell short with their efforts.

It’s not entirely clear how many remain, but the ones that do are becoming more and more isolated and deserted.

Yum! Brands did, however, recover nicely from this faux pas. Macrotrends reports their gross profit for the twelve months ending March 31, 2024, was $5.258 billion, a 1.23% increase year-over-year.

Evan Paul is the host of Taste of Country Nights, a syndicated radio show heard on more than 130 country radio stations nationwide, every night from 7PM to midnight. He plays the best new country music and interviews today’s top stars, like Luke Combs, Morgan Wallen, Kenny Chesney, Miranda Lambert, Dan + Shay, Keith Urban, Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan, Chris Stapleton, Lady A, + more!