A ribbon cutting ceremony was held at Pizza Hut in Hope today to celebrate the opening of a new location, plus an evolved concept of service. The festivities kicked off with a word from Vice Mayor Kiffenea Talley who offered the the Pizza Hut team a warm welcome. "The City of Hope is really excited about the new location," Talley said. "We know Pizza Hut at this new location will enhance our efforts to revitalize our downtown area, and we offer our congratulations to the Pizza Hut team and wish you success."

Franchise owner Premila Vishwanath said she was thrilled to bring a better location to Hope residents, in addition to a new way of pizza dining. "We are super excited about this," Vishwanath said. "We've been at the old location for many years, and this location is closer to the side of town with more residents. Plus, we wanted something new and modern with the latest Pizza Hut trend. Pizza Hut is moving away from the dine-in business and toward the delivery and carryout business." Vishwanath said the new store is more in line with the new prototype that Pizza Hut wants to promote. After Covid, she said, delivery and carryout has become the more prominent choice of dining for customers.

Vishwanath said the ribbon cutting today was also a great way for the team to meet more members of the community. "We would like to give back to the community," she said. "We want to form collaborations with schools, churches, and other organizations. Working together will make it better for everyone." Vishwanath said she hopes that in the future, locals will think of Pizza Hut when choosing food for an event.

Participants who attended the ceremony received a sample of Pizza Hit's menu items. Pizza, pasta, breadsticks, brownies, and cookies were laid out for visitors to try, in addition to a tour of the new facility.

Pizza Hut's new location in Hope is at 305 W. 3rd Street. Hours of operations are Sunday-Thursday 10:30am to 11pm. and Friday, Saturday 10:30am to 12:00am.