Did you know that Pizza Hut was started in Wichita? In 1958 two brothers started a restaurant in a building on the corner of Bluff and Kellogg. They sold pizza, a dish that was beginning to gain popularity. They staffed it with family, friends, and fraternity brothers (from Wichita State University) and called it Pizza Hut.
About the Original Pizza Hut:
- The Pizza Hut Museum is inside the original Pizza Hut building.
- The Pizza Hut Museum is behind the Marcus Welcome Center at Wichita State University, just off 21st Street.
- Museum hours are Monday – Friday, 9 am – 5 pm.
- Admission is FREE!
- Dan and Frank Carney, the brothers that started Pizza Hut, borrowed $600 from their mom to open the first Pizza Hut.
- They opened its door on June 15, 1958 and sold it 19 years later to PepsiCo for $300 million.
- They named it Pizza Hut because their sign only had room for eight letters.
- Unfortunately, you cant order pizza at the museum, but that will be cool.
- While you are at the Museum, you should also go check out the Ulrich Museum of Art. It’s also FREE to visit and only minutes away. You can also walk around campus because they have an excellent display of outdoor sculptures.