Pizza Hut Is Leaning Into Retro, Bringing Back BOOK IT!
This year the iconic summer reading program is rewarding adults, too.
Image Courtesy of Pizza Hut
Pizza fans yearning for days of yore, Pizza Hut is right there with you.
The brand recently began promoting “classic" Pizza Hut restaurant experiences featuring red cups, checkered tablecloths, vinyl booths, Tiffany-style lamps, iconic arcade games and the brand’s old-school red-roof architecture.
Now, the chain is wrapping this reverent regard for all things retro into something it’s calling the Summer of Hut Originals, a “new platform dedicated to celebrating the food, experiences and fans that made the brand iconic.”
“After seeing so much excitement from customers around our Classic locations and the Pizza Hut originals people still know and love today, we knew it was the perfect time to launch Hut Originals,” Melissa Friebe, Pizza Hut’s chief marketing officer, says in a press release. “The platform celebrates the moments, memories and menu items generations of fans share with Pizza Hut.”
Anyone who grew up going to Pizza Hut will want to note the brand’s summer plans.
What is Pizza Hut planning for its Summer of Hut Originals?
For starters, it has introduced a new take on its Original Pan pizza. Crispy Parm Pan Pizza is now available at the chain’s participating locations nationwide.
Pizza Hut is also bringing back its iconic BOOK IT! Summer of Stories reading program from June through August. Now in existence for more than 40 years, BOOK IT! is open to families with children in pre-kindergarten through sixth grade. Kids are encouraged to set monthly reading goals through the BOOK IT! mobile app. Once they meet a reading goal, they are rewarded with a free Personal Pan Pizza from participating Pizza Hut locations.
And this year, the BOOK IT! excitement and rewards aren’t just for the kids. Pizza Hut is celebrating book-reading kids of yore with a one-day-only BOOK IT! reward. On Wednesday, June 10, anyone who brings a BOOK IT! button from any year to a participating Pizza Hut location can get a free Personal Pan Pizza.
“No Pizza Hut memory is more iconic than earning free pizza for reading,” the brand says.
In collaboration with General Mills and Box Tops for Education, Pizza Hut is also helping families to raise money for local schools. Customers can earn Box Tops for eligible schools by scanning receipts from Pizza Hut’s BOOK IT! Family Meal (one medium one-topping pizza and two one-topping Personal Pan Pizzas for $14.99). Additionally, a portion of the proceeds from BOOK IT! Family Meals will help support the BOOK IT! program and educational literacy.
Throughout the summer, as part of the nostalgic festivities, Pizza Hut will also offer “throwback” deals on menu items, merch offers and Pizza Hut Classic location experiences.
How do you sign up for Pizza Hut’s BOOK IT! Summer of Stories?
To enroll your young reader in the program, download the free BOOK IT! app on the App Store or Google Play and set reading goals through through August.
“BOOK IT! continues to be one of the most beloved and talked-about programs tied to the brand, and this summer we’re excited to bring fans new partnerships, experiences and nostalgic moments all summer long,” Friebe says.
You can find more information about Pizza Hut's BOOK IT! program at www.bookitprogram.com.
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