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At one time, the popular pizza chain was the go-to for groups and loved ones to feast on its unlimited dining experience, endless salad selection, and self-serve ice-cream.

Yet not as many customers are choosing the brand these days, and it is shutting down half of its UK outlets after being acquired following financial trouble for the second instance this year.

I remember going Pizza Hut when I was a child,” explains one London shopper. “It was like a family thing, you'd go on a Sunday – make a day of it.” Today, as a young adult, she says “it's not a thing anymore.”

In the view of young customer Martina, certain features Pizza Hut has been known and loved for since it opened in the UK in the seventies are now less appealing.

“The manner in which they do their all-you-can-eat and their salad bar, it seems as if they are cheapening on their quality and have reduced quality... They provide so much food and you're like ‘How is that possible?’”

Since grocery costs have increased significantly, Pizza Hut's buffet-style service has become very expensive to run. The same goes for its locations, which are being cut from over 130 to just over 60.

The chain, in common with competitors, has also faced its operating costs go up. Earlier this year, employee wages increased due to increases in the legal wage floor and an increase in employer social security payments.

A couple in their thirties and twenties explain they frequently dined at Pizza Hut for a date “occasionally”, but now they choose a rival chain and think Pizza Hut is “very overpriced”.

Depending on your choices, Pizza Hut and Domino's prices are close, notes a food expert.

Although Pizza Hut provides off-premise options through external services, it is falling behind to big rivals which specialize to the delivery sector.

“Domino's has succeeded in leading the delivery market thanks to aggressive marketing and constantly running deals that make customers feel like they're saving money, when in reality the base costs are on the higher side,” notes the analyst.

But for the couple it is justified to get their date night sent directly.

“We definitely eat at home now instead of we eat out,” explains Joanne, reflecting recent statistics that show a drop in people visiting informal dining spots.

Over the summer, informal dining venues saw a six percent decline in diners compared to last summer.

Moreover, one more competitor to ordered-in pies: the supermarket pizza.

A hospitality expert, head of leisure and hospitality at a major consultancy, explains that not only have grocery stores been offering premium ready-to-bake pizzas for a long time – some are even selling countertop ovens.

“Evolving preferences are also contributing in the success of casual eateries,” states Mr. Hawkley.

The increased interest of high protein diets has boosted sales at grilled chicken brands, while affecting sales of carb-heavy pizza, he notes.

As people visit restaurants less frequently, they may seek out a more premium experience, and Pizza Hut's classic look with vinyl benches and red and white checked plastic table cloths can feel more old-fashioned than luxurious.

The growth of premium pizza outlets” over the last decade and a half, such as popular brands, has “completely altered the general opinion of what quality pizza is,” explains the culinary analyst.

“A thin, flavorful, gentle crust with a carefully curated additions, not the excessively rich, thick and crowded pizzas of the past. This, in my view, is what's caused Pizza Hut's downfall,” she says.

“Why would anyone spend nearly eighteen pounds on a tiny, mediocre, unsatisfying pizza from a large brand when you can get a gorgeous, skillfully prepared Margherita for a lower price at one of the many authentic Italian pizzerias around the country?

“It's a no-brainer.”

An independent operator, who runs a pizza van based in Suffolk comments: “People haven’t stopped liking pizza – they just want improved value.”

He says his flexible operation can offer high-quality pie at accessible prices, and that Pizza Hut had difficulty because it could not keep up with changing preferences.

At an independent chain in a city in southwest England, owner Jack Lander says the industry is broadening but Pizza Hut has failed to offer anything new.

“Currently available are individual slices, artisanal styles, New Haven-style, sourdough, Neapolitan, rectangular – it's a heavenly minefield for a pizza-loving consumer to discover.”

Jack says Pizza Hut “should transform” as the youth don't have any sense of nostalgia or allegiance to the brand.

Over time, Pizza Hut's market has been divided and distributed to its more modern, agile rivals. To maintain its high labor and location costs, it would have to increase costs – which commentators say is challenging at a time when household budgets are decreasing.

The managing director of Pizza Hut's global operations said the buyout aimed “to safeguard our guest experience and save employment where possible”.

He said its key goal was to keep running at the remaining 64 restaurants and off-premise points and to assist staff through the restructure.

However with so much money going into running its restaurants, it probably cannot to spend heavily in its delivery service because the industry is “complex and partnering with existing third-party platforms comes at a price”, experts say.

Still, experts suggest, reducing expenses by exiting oversaturated towns and city centres could be a smart move to adapt.