Pizza Hut Launches Alcohol Delivery Test, Plans To Expand Service Nationwide
With restaurant chains like TGI Fridays getting into the alcohol delivery business, it was only a matter of time before the service expanded into fast food and the pizza industry. A Pizza Hut alcohol delivery test just launched today, and fans can look forward to seeing that program spread to the rest of the nation soon.
Photo courtesy of Stacy Lynn Bourgeois, Director of Brand Marketing, Pizza Hut
The Pizza Hut alcohol delivery test will begin in Phoenix starting today, where customers can order six packs of Budweiser, Bud Light, Shock Top, or Kilt Lifter (a local beer out of Four Peaks Brewing in Tempe, AZ). The bottles will arrive in a custom cooler that keeps them chill until they arrive at their final destination. No additional charges or fees will be associated with this service, according to Pizza Hut.
Pizza Hut already offers alcohol within 1,726 of its own stores, roughly a fifth of its 7,500+ USA locations. That helps the pizza giant smoothly transition into delivering booze, since it can eliminate third-party vendors and integrate the service into an already existent system.
As the pizza purveyor looks to grow its alcohol delivery program, it will look to add local beers to its lineup, as demonstrated with the addition of Kilt Lifter in Phoenix. Pizza Hut will also look to add wine in January, with both single-serve and full-bottle options up for consideration. The chain also will be expanding its current booze program “quickly,” with plans to add liquor licenses to even more locations as soon as possible based on the requirements of each market.
The new Pizza Hut alcohol delivery program makes it the first major pizza industry player to offer the service in the US, which should help give it a new advantage against Domino’s in the ongoing battle for America’s top pizza chain. Domino’s has previously offered a similar service in the UK, however, so it may leverage that experience soon to compete against Pizza Hut’s new service stateside.
