Wait, That’s Not a Pizza Hut?

What do a taqueria, a Korean-Chinese restaurant, and a barbecue joint have in common? They all used to be Pizza Huts. The restaurant chain ditched its distinctive red-hut architecture in 2016, but you can still find the structures around the area, now housing other eateries.

Taqueria El Patron

Owner Jose Chavarria and his family were regulars at the Pizza Hut before he took over the repurposed space in 2018, picking the building due to its location in an area that’s heavily Latino. Originally from Guatemala, Chavarria decided to open a Mexican restaurant because “it’s what sells the most around here. Everyone loves it.”

Pupatella

“That was the Pizza Hut of my childhood,” says Michael Berger, managing partner at Pupatella, which has several area pizza spots. Berger has many memories of hanging out there for little-league and swim-team parties.

Sloppy Mama’s BBQ

Local diners regularly come by and reminisce about days spent at this former Hut, says owner Joe Neuman. One couple told him they found love there as teens: The woman worked as a waitress and would invite her crush to come by and ply him with free pizza and beer. They’ve now been married for decades.

Jang Won

Occasionally, diners will let restaurant owner Sonny Kim know that his business used to be a Pizza Hut. But most customers are focused on the current offerings, he says, with the success of K-pop driving a lot of new interest. Kim was once a consumer of fast-food pizza, but “not these days,” he says with a laugh. “Not even Domino’s.”

Galazio Restaurant and Bar

When co-owner Dionissios Gressis took over the building to open a Mediterranean eatery, he did a lot of work to reduce evidence of its former Hut life. Even so, the red roof periodically reappears, poking through chipped brown paint. “I feel like Pizza Hut keeps trying to come back,” he jokes.

This article appears in the December 2024 issue of Washingtonian.

Jennifer Albarracin Moya

Web Producer