The Secret Meaning Behind Pizza Hut's Logo

If we were to tell you there was a secret message in the Pizza Hut logo, you might look at us askance. What, are we trying to suggest there's a hidden code in it that'll lead to untold treasures? Are you going to have to steal the Declaration of Independence? No, the truth is a little more quotidian, but no less interesting. You know that big red hat sitting atop the words "Pizza Hut"? It's a reference to the distinctive red roof every Pizza Hut used to have.

Of the two logos Pizza Hut uses interchangeably (whether that be the stately, old-fashioned one you see above or the more modern-looking red swirl design), both have that sombrero-shaped design over the restaurant's name. You might think it's more appropriate for Taco Bell than a pizza chain, but that red roof has been a part of the company's brand for decades, from the halcyon days of the still-ongoing Book It! program to the introduction of the Stuffed Crust Pizza. It only stands to reason that it'd stick around today. (Pizza Hut isn't the only pizza chain to have a secret message in its logo, as Domino's includes a reference to the original three locations.)

Believe it or not, the very first Pizza Hut didn't have a red roof at all. It was a small, dowdy brick building in Wichita, Kansas — one might even call it a hut, in fact, which explains Pizza Hut's name. The first Pizza Hut was opened by Dan and Frank Carney in 1958, and the red roof didn't come along until 1969. It was an easy way to distinguish the restaurant at a glance, marking it as one of a kind even in the most far-flung locales.

So, why don't you see as many red roof locations anymore? Well, at a certain point, Pizza Hut stopped being a place where you went to dine and became someplace you ordered from. That meant there wasn't a need for big dining rooms, and therefore no need for big, ostentatious roofs to draw you in. The unique architecture also made it a pain if a location closed, as the new buyer would have to deal with the odd roof. (There's a whole website, in fact, devoted to buildings that used to be a Pizza Hut.) And so, just as resale value is why every house looks like a dentist's office these days, Pizza Hut's red roofs may soon be confined to the logo. (Which actually isn't such a terrible fate, now that we think of it.)