Which PepsiCo-owned restaurant chain did PepsiCo acquire in 1977?

PepsiCo acquired Pizza Hut in 1977.

The purchase made Pizza Hut part of a rapidly expanding restaurant division alongside PepsiCo’s beverage and snack businesses. Pizza Hut had been founded in Wichita, Kansas, in 1958 by brothers Dan and Frank Carney, who opened the first restaurant with a small loan from their mother.

PepsiCo later added other major restaurant brands, including Taco Bell in 1978 and Kentucky Fried Chicken in 1986. These acquisitions made PepsiCo a significant force in both packaged foods and quick-service restaurants, even though the businesses were not beverage brands.

PepsiCo spun off its restaurant operations in 1997 into Tricon Global Restaurants. That company was later renamed Yum! Brands, which became the parent of Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, and KFC. Thus, Pizza Hut is no longer owned by PepsiCo today.