[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 83 (Tuesday, May 20, 2008)]
[House]
[Page H4288]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             RECOGNIZING PIZZA HUT ON ITS 50TH ANNIVERSARY

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Kansas (Mr. Tiahrt) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. TIAHRT. ``Gather 'round the good stuff.'' That's what Pizza Hut 
says in their ads today. But they have been gathering around the good 
stuff for 50 years.
  Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the 50th anniversary of an 
American success story, Pizza Hut. It has grown from a single brick 
building in Wichita, Kansas, to more than 11,000 stores worldwide with 
sales of more than $1.8 billion in the last fiscal quarter alone.
  Founded on May 31, 1958, by Dan and Frank Carney, Wichita, Kansas, 
natives, Pizza Hut represents the very essence of the American Dream. 
The Carney brothers borrowed $600 from their mother, purchased used 
kitchen equipment, and rented a 550 square foot brick building and 
began selling pizzas.
  The business grew quickly, and in 1959 they opened their first 
franchise restaurant in Topeka, Kansas. By 1966, just 8 years after 
opening, Pizza Hut established its first home office in Wichita to 
oversee the booming business of 145 restaurants.
  In the late 1960s, a pizza company from California was beginning to 
expand eastward, and the Carney brothers were faced with new business 
challenges. They decided that Pizza Huts would be the neighborhood 
pizza restaurants, with standard layouts and looks. In 1969 the red 
roof was instituted as the national standard for Pizza Hut locations. 
The move paid off, as Pizza Hut became the number one pizza chain in 
the world, both in term of sales and in the number of restaurants.
  Frank Carney attributes the early success of Pizza Hut to the good 
values and solid work ethic he and his brother learned from helping 
their father at his neighborhood grocery store. They believed that 
growth would come through a commitment to quality and an attitude of 
service from dedicated employees.
  The 1970s were a significant time of growth for Pizza Hut. They 
became a publicly traded corporation in 1970, opened their 1,000th 
store in Wichita, Kansas, in 1972, and their first international 
restaurant in Costa Rica that same year. Four years later the 100th 
international store opened in Australia and the 2,000th Pizza Hut store 
worldwide. In 1977 they merged with PepsiCo.
  Since then Pizza Hut has grown in terms of restaurants and menu 
options. In 1986 they began offering delivery services. In 2000 Pizza 
Hut joined with several other restaurant holdings, including KFC and 
Taco Bell, to become YUM! Brands.
  A number of events are planned to celebrate the 50th anniversary of 
Pizza Huts' founding, culminating in a gala at the Gaylord Hotel in the 
DC area here on the evening of May 31. I want to especially commend Bev 
Jeskie for all her hard work in organizing these events and for making 
sure that I remained informed of their activities.
  Madam Speaker, the idea began 50 years ago in a little hut in 
Wichita, Kansas. It has been immensely successful. Dan Carney cites the 
relationships he developed, strengthened with friends, family members, 
co-workers, and franchisees, as being the most important aspect of 
Pizza Hut. Madam Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to take a cue from 
a couple of good Kansans: ``Gather 'round the good stuff.''

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