NEW YORK — Pizza Hut is letting customers play mad scientist, giving them the freedom to make pies with honey Sriracha sauce or add curry to the crusts.
The reworked menu is one of several major moves at old-standby restaurant chains, including Red Lobster and Olive Garden, as they try to adjust to changing tastes. Many customers, especially millennials, have turned their backs on chain restaurants and are demanding more variety, exotic flavors, and higher-quality food.
Pizza Hut’s atypical flavors and new ingredients are part of a menu overhaul set to hit stores Nov. 19. Executives are hoping the revamp — including an updated logo and more relaxed uniforms for workers — will finally jumpstart sales.
Pizza Hut, owned by Yum Brands Inc., has reported sales declines for eight straight quarters at established locations. To regain its footing, Pizza Hut is turning to a growing trend in the industry: giving people greater flexibility to tailor orders. The popularity of places like Chipotle, which lets people select toppings, has prompted a variety of chains to play up customization.
Pizza Hut is still keeping its most popular pies on the menu, such as the Meat Lover’s and Veggie Lover’s, while adding 11 specialty pizzas and a section of ‘‘Skinny’’ pies that are lower in calories. But for people who like to design their own, it’s giving them yet more ways to do so at no extra cost.
For the base sauce, people will be able pick from six options, including marinara, garlic parmesan, and honey Sriracha. They can also add swirl of flavor to their pies, picking from four ‘‘drizzles’’ including balsamic and buffalo.
And they’ll be able to brush pie crusts with one of 10 flavors, including salted pretzel and fiery red pepper. Two of the crust flavors will be updated regularly, with ‘‘Ginger Boom Boom’’ and ‘‘Curried Away’’ being the first limited-time offerings.
The chain’s famous red roof logo will be also tweaked so that it’s white against a swirling red circle. And worker uniforms will switch to jeans and T-shirt, rather than a polo shirt with black pants.