Pizza Hut Restaurants has unveiled a massive £785,000 restaurant makeover at its flagship AshfordHut at Eureka Leisure Park, creating 10 new jobs for the area.
The refurbishment is the first of its kind and biggest to date across the Pizza Hut Restaurants’ portfolio. The re-opening forms part of a multi-million pound nationwide redesign programme by the casual dining company. A brand new, exciting menu will also be rolled out in the revamped Hut that includes the new Ultimate Thin pizza – featuring Pizza Hut Restaurants’ thinnest ever crust – frickles (fried pickles), and American style waffles.
The Hut has introduced a contemporary new cocktail bar and full drinks menu, offering guests a unique Hut experience. This great new addition will transform the restaurant into a fun evening destination appealing to a wider customer base across Ashford. For the first four weeks after opening, the Hut will also be home to an outdoor popup bar, serving a wide range of drinks including a selection of 2-4-1 cocktails, mocktails and hard-shakes between 5pm and close.
As part of the revamp, staff have been educated on the history and “theatre” of cocktail making including which cocktails complement which new menu items. They have received specialist training on how to prepare some of the nation’s favourite hard shakes and cocktails including the Mojito and Margarita.
Pizza Hut Restaurants’ famous icons – including the Ice Cream Factory, Salad Station and Buffet – still take centre stage, but form part of the new, interactive design that includes a central preparation station offering a range of desserts including warm cookie dough, and a self-service soft drinks hub allowing guests to refill drinks at their leisure. A vibrant new lighting scheme and impressive design elements have also been installed to showcase a new contemporary look and feel.
Restaurant Manager Geraint Pym said: “We are really excited to show off our new makeover. There’s no other Pizza Hut Restaurant like it. It’s a huge step forward and a real game changer for us. We have invested in stand out features, which really bring the restaurant to life including an amazing illuminated feature wall. We also have our very own cocktail bar which has created a more animated night time destination for our customers to enjoy.
“On top of that we’ve launched a brand new range of delicious menu items including the Kentucky style BBQ Ribs and warm cookie dough which we’re confident will be a huge hit.”
Jasmine Davis, the Hut’s newest member of staff, added: “The new design is incredible. We can’t wait to share the fun atmosphere and mouth-watering new menu items with our guests – the waffles are my personal favourite.”
The investment in Ashford is part of a broader £60 million refurbishment and restructuring programme for the business, secured through private equity investment from Rutland Partners in late 2012.