North Hills Flashback: The Red Roofed Huts

Pizza has always been a hot topic in the North Hills region, especially when favorites are polled. There is a group which will always patronize Monte Cello’s, another which will insist Sir Pizza is the best, a faction who stands by Center Avenue Slice, a slew of Mandy’s lovers, and numerous supporters of Luciano’s. Those from Fox Chapel, of course, will insist on a pizza from The Upper Crust. When a fire ravaged Bellisario’s a few months ago, the community rallied around the owners as they vowed to re-open. Northway Mall patrons enjoyed Mamma Lucia for years and were saddened when it ceased operations nearly four years ago. All of these shops, of course, are or were locally owned, with Monte Cello’s operating several locations in the area. National outlet California Pizza Kitchen operates at Ross Park Mall while a new to the area chain, Blaze Pizza, hopes to carry on the tradition of great pizza at Northway when it opens in the coming months. Simply reading this list makes it sound as though the area has more than enough pizza for a dozen teams of Ninja Turtles.

However, there is something missing: the presence of a mighty national chain. A quarter century ago, this chain was dominant throughout the North Hills and the entire city of Pittsburgh. Now, its iconic buildings are used for various purposes or have disappeared from the landscape altogether, inspiring a national blog and a recent Pittsburgh Dad episode. Yes, children of the 1980s, that chain was Pizza Hut.

Pizza Hut had a stronghold in the area. There were two stores on McKnight Road which operated simultaneously. The newer and larger location is still standing today, albeit no longer a Pizza Hut. Its familiar shape can be seen on the eastern side of the road in the vicinity of Bed, Bath, and Beyond. The smaller location, long since demolished, was located approximately in the location of the current Comfort Inn near the I-279 interchange.

There was a Pizza Hut on the Wexford Flats near the summit of Pine Creek Hill on the western side of the road. Another Pizza Hut operated in West View Park Plaza along the road of restaurants. There was even a carryout location on Route 19 near the present location of Jack’s Boxing Gym.

In the 1980s and 1990s, Pizza Hut was known for more than just its pizzas, which included the traditional pan, the rectangular Bigfoot, and the innovative stuffed crust pizza. In the heyday of arcade gaming, Pizza Hut had plenty of options, from a tabletop edition of Pac Man (or Ms. Pac Man) to an arcade game based on The Simpsons. There were often machines tucked in the entryways, where long waits were common, especially on Tuesday nights.

Tuesdays were for the children. Any “kids night” featured activities and tables covered in brown parchment paper, perfect for drawings with the complimentary crayons. It was also a popular time to cash in free personal pan rewards from Book It!, which was a reading program available at many local schools. After reading a certain number of books or pages, a teacher could pass out a coupon for a free pizza. Pizza Hut, in turn, would pass out a button, which had several stickers that were collected for each month. While the program still exists today, its popularity has waned.

What happened to Pizza Hut in the area? The carryout location on Route 19 never took off and was closed by the late 1990s. In 1997, the location near I-279 caught on fire and was never re-opened. The building did, however, become a “used to be a Pizza Hut” and was home to Club Mirage, a short-lived nightclub venture. Wexford’s location was moved to a new building in 2002, which even had a drive-thru, but it closed a little over a decade later. While modern and innovative, it never quite recaptured the popularity of the previous location. The West View location, once a booming franchise, shut down in 2007 due to declining patronage. Just a few short years ago, the final local sit-down Pizza Hut closed its doors. Crowds were small at the time, so the closure likely came as no surprise to most residents. Today, the location is used as an overflow lot for nearby Jim Shorkey Chrysler.

For those looking for a real Pizza Hut experience (not everyone counts a Pizza Hut personal pan pizza from Target as the “real deal”), the nearest locations are on Route 8 in Allison Park and near the airport on University Boulevard (formerly known as Beers School Road). Both are old-style Pizza Huts, complete with buffets (but lacking arcade machines and a Tuesday “kids night”). A take-out only location exists in Bellevue.

The big question—what toppled the Pizza Hut empire? A likely possibility is the popularity of the local pizza shops, especially those with sit-down areas. Pittsburghers tend to support local businesses, even when the chains offer perks such as arcade games and free pizzas for children who read lots of books. Another explanation may be that locals simply tired of Pizza Hut’s offerings. There are only so many cravings one can have for puffy breadsticks, greasy pan pizzas, and cheesy stuffed crusts, especially when the other restaurants offer other entrees. Monte Cello’s has proudly proclaimed to be “more than just pizza” for years. Many pizza joints also offer sandwiches. Pizza Huts weren’t built with bars or Sir Pizza’s “pick your own six pack” for those who care as much about their beer as they do their pizza. Furthermore, the delivery service of some of the local restaurants has always been better. Throw in a few smaller chains, such as Vocelli, and Pizza Hut becomes another player in a crowded local market. With large restaurant buildings and slow sales, the sit-down restaurants were quick to close.

However, they are alive and well in areas with few other competitors. There are plenty of Pizza Huts scattered around the landscape of Ohio. Your friendly author ate at a busy pizza hut in Charleston, SC a few years ago. Pizza Hut still has a presence, albeit a limited one, at some Target stores, Taco Bells, and KFCs. Still, the allure of playing arcade games, drawing on the table, and collecting that next Book It! sticker just weren’t enough to keep Pizza Hut going in the northern suburbs of Pittsburgh.