PIZZA PROBLEMS

Texas-based Pizza Hut to shutter 250 restaurants as U.S. sales plummet

Pizza Hut will close 250 restaurants by mid-2026.

By the middle of the year, San Antonio could have a few fewer Pizza Huts. Yum! Brands, the parent company of the almost 70-year-old chain, announced it plans to close an estimated 250 restaurants — about four percent of the chain’s massive global footprint.

The closures were revealed during Yum's fourth quarter earnings call on February 4. The company said that U.S. store sales slid three percent as value initiatives, like the $5 Crafted Flatzz personal pizza, have failed to take hold with customers, who are increasingly spending their pizza budget at rival Domino’s.

In November 2025, Yum Brands announced that it would launch a “formal review of strategic options,” a program called “Hut Forward,” which officials said could result in a global reduction in the number of Pizza Hut outlets or an eventual sale of the concept.

“The Pizza Hut team has been working hard to address business and category challenges; however, Pizza Hut’s performance indicates the need to take additional action to help the brand realize its full value, which may be better executed outside of Yum! Brands,” said Chris Turner, CEO of Yum! Brands, in a previous press release.

It’s unclear how any such sale would affect the franchise’s Texas headquarters. The corporation is currently in the process of moving KFC, which has been experiencing its own financial struggles, from Kentucky to its Plano home base.

In recent years, the overall pizza landscape has been rocky for national chains. Concepts like Papa John’s, Blaze Pizza, and Mod Pizza have closed units as dining shifts increasingly favor more “interesting” concepts like Nashville-style hot chicken. In early January, the Wall Street Journal reported that pizzerias are no longer the second most popular chain format in the U.S., plummeting below Mexican restaurants and coffee shops to sixth place.

Although Pizza Hut has not disclosed exactly which locations would be shuttering, it did say it expects to wrap up the closure round by the middle of 2026. The chain currently operates 57 restaurants within San Antonio city limits.

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SUPERMARKET SWEEP

Beloved Austin Asian grocer to open first San Antonio store

MT Supermarket/ Facebook

Austin's MT Supermarket is coming to San Antonio.

San Antonians will soon have a place to shop for rice snacks and frozen dumplings. Austin’s beloved Asian grocer, MT Supermarket, is building its first Alamo City location at 5428 Walzem Rd.

MT Supermarket has been a go-to spot for Austin home cooks since 1984, originally operating as My Thanh Market. In 2006, it opened a much larger location in Chinatown Center in north Austin, with a selection rivaling Houston’s megastores.

According to the Austin Chronicle’s initial report, that store features a jaw-dropping assortment of packaged, prepared, and fresh foods, including a produce section stocked with hard-to-find greens, bulk tofu, and fruits like jackfruit and lychee. Proteins include specialty items like duck heads and fish balls, and the seafood section features an array of live tanks with crab, lobster, catfish, and more.

At 25,000 square feet, the San Antonio outpost is likely to include a little less bounty, but local shoppers can expect a similar mix. The Austin store also has sections devoted to housewares and gifts, but it’s unclear whether Alamo City will follow suit.

State regulatory files first estimated that MT Supermarket would arrive in July 2025. As of yet, the owners have not released a firm opening date, but signage is up at Walzem Plaza shopping center. A request for more detailed timeline information was not immediately returned.

Meanwhile, rumors are flying that a national Asian grocery store is eyeing San Antonio. A Reddit thread recently discussed an email, purportedly from SRS Real Estate Partners, saying the unnamed concept was looking for a 40,000-square-foot-plus big box locale in the Alamo City metro. SRS did not respond to a request for comment.

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