Pizza Hut was founded in which Kansas city?

Pizza Hut was founded in Wichita, Kansas.

Brothers Dan and Frank Carney opened the first Pizza Hut on May 31, 1958, while they were students at Wichita State University. Their mother lent them $600 to help launch the restaurant in a small Wichita building. The name “Pizza Hut” was reportedly chosen because the original sign had room for only eight letters.

Wichita was not merely an early branch location: it was the company’s birthplace and early headquarters. The business expanded rapidly, reaching six locations within its first year. Its first franchise opened in Topeka in 1959, which is why Topeka can sometimes appear in accounts of Pizza Hut’s early Kansas history—but it was not the founding city.

The chain later became one of the world’s largest pizza franchises. PepsiCo acquired Pizza Hut in 1977, and it became part of Yum! Brands after PepsiCo spun off its restaurant division in 1997.