All you can eat: Where are Australia’s last remaining Pizza Hut dine-in restaurants?
During the 1970s and ’80s, Pizza Hut reigned supreme over Australia’s fast food landscape, with dine-in restaurants flogging all-you-can-eat buffets ubiquitous across the country. Today, there are only eight locations still in operation. So what happened to the all-you-can-eat phenomenon and where can you find Pizza Hut’s remaining dine-in restaurants?
The first first Pizza Hut restaurant in Australia opened its doors in 1970 in the Sydney suburb of Belfield.
Opportunely bursting onto the scene just as the concept of dining out was beginning to take off in Australia, the US company quickly established itself as one of the country’s favoured restaurants for family-style dining out, but in a fun and affordable way.
Pizza Hut reigned supreme over the Australia’s fast food landscape in the ’70s and ’80s. Picture: NewsCorp Australia.
“I’m sure we all remember those iconic red-roofed restaurants that welcomed the whole family, where you could enjoy all-you-could-eat pizza and salads while the kids devoured ice cream from the dessert bar,” recalled Vicki Leavy, general manager of JMK Retail.
“Aussies love value as long it is delivered in a meaningful way and Pizza Hut managed to successfully target the key elements of our culture, which in turn helped us to really embrace the brand.”
Pizza Hut’s dine-in restaurants were a major hit for over two decades, with the all-you-can-eat craze raging throughout the 1980s.
Australia’s first Pizza Hut restaurant in Belfield, NSW. Picture: Supplied
But as the 1990s rolled on, the brand’s restaurant locations began to wane in popularity and disappear in favour of shop-front venues which focused on takeaway and home delivery.
While there are still almost 300 stores around the country, only eight of those still offer dine-in, with many restaurants having permanently closed their doors in recent years, or in favour of a smaller takeaway and delivery-only operations.
New South Wales: Minto, Orange & Windsor
The all-you-can-eat pizza, pasta and dessert dream still lives on at three locations in NSW, but only for lucky devils living in certain regional areas of the state.
City slickers of Sydney will find their closest pilgrimage in Minto, located 50km south-west of the CBD. The dine-in location, named Pizza Hut St Andrews, has been beamed across social media in recent months after going viral on TikTok.
The unlimited lunch buffet will set you back a very respectable $17.95.
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The state’s two other dine-in restaurants are located in the townships of Orange and Windsor.
It was only a few short years ago there were four dine-in locations in NSW, however the company closed its Lake Haven restaurant in 2022, after 30 years of serving customers of the Central Coast and Hunter regions.
“Sadly we advise that the All You Can Eat/Dine-In component of Pizza Hut at Lake Haven will be closing in coming weeks,” the company posted on Facebook at the time.
The venue has since relocated to a pick-up and delivery location within Lake Haven Shopping Centre.
Queensland: Gympie, Brown Plains & Toowoomba
Queensland similarly has only three dine-in Pizza Hut restaurants still in operation.
Two are located in the hinterland cities of Toowoomba and Gympie, while the third is in the Logan City suburb of Brown Plains – 30km south of Brisbane CBD.
One surprised reddit user claims the Toowoomba location hasn’t changed in almost 30 years.
Queensland has only three dine-in Pizza Hut restaurants still in operation. Picture: Getty
“It’s still the same as it was in the 90’s,” they posted, “so you’ll definitely get your nostalgia fix. It’s the same soft serve machine, same cups.”
“Honestly I reckon if they put it back to how it was in the 80s – before it was all you can eat and the pizza was incredible – they’d make an absolute fortune now,” wrote another redditor.
“I still remember going there as a kid and what it smelled and tasted like.”
Victoria: Ballarat
After more than three decades in operation, Shepparton’s Pizza Hut closed its doors for the last time in April 2021. The derelict building was later demolished in July of the same year.
It was one of two Pizza Hut dine-in restaurants left in Victoria, with the city of Ballarat home to the state’s ultimate buffet location.
Pizza Hut in Ballarat, Victoria. Picture: Supplied
For those looking to embark on a road trip, an all-you-can-eat lunch at Ballarat Pizza Hut will set you back $18.95 on weekdays and $23.95 on the weekend. Dinner is only a tad extra at $24.95.
Take that, cost of living crisis!
Tasmania: New Town
Tassie’s very last dine-in Pizza Hut restaurant can be found in the Hobart suburb of New Town – about 4km north of the CBD.
Still going strong for over four decades, the local institution first opened its doors in 1983.
An all-you-can-eat comeback?
In 2023, Pizza Hut announced ambitious plans to take on its decades-long rival Domino’s by ramping up its locations across Australia from 260 to 400 stores over a five-year period.
Speaking to The Australian at the time, Pizza Hut CEO Phil Reed announced his intention to bolster revenue from around $300 million to more than $1 billion.
Pizza Hut CEO Phil Reed indicated new stores could be on the cards. Picture: Getty
“We have around 55 per cent of the Australian public who have yet to enjoy the opportunity of having Pizza Hut pizzas delivered to their home,” Mr Reed told the publication.
“There is a huge opportunity, whether it is growing the brand or opening new stores.”
In the wake of Pizza Hut’s remaining dine-in restaurants going viral on social media in recent months, some food influencers are speculating whether the phenomenon might lead to more opening in the future, sparking a new era of all-you-can-eat indulgence.
Fingers crossed.
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