Pizza Hut, Dave & Buster’s, Jersey Mike’s
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June 17, 2026
Pizza Hut has been sold. The announcement comes about six months after parent company Yum Brand put the chain up for strategic review. Pizza Hut will be sold to both LongRange Capital and Yum China in two separate deals for $2.7 billion. Private equity firm LongRange was founded in 2019 and has about $1.7 billion in capital under management. Yum spun off its China division in 2016. The deals are expected to close in Q3. Notably, Yum will continue to provide its in-house tech stack to Pizza Hut outside of China. In a statement, Yum CEO Chris Turner said under LongRange and Yum China, Pizza Hut will be well-positioned for future growth. The move should also allow Yum Brands to sharpen its focus on KFC International and Taco Bell, which generate a majority of the company’s operating profits.
It was not all fun and games for Dave & Buster’s last quarter. Same-store sales declined 5.4%, much worse than the company was expecting. Executives blamed a tough economy, gas prices, and weakening consumer sentiment. They also said marketing of unlimited gaming passes for $1 a day missed the mark. But the company has high hopes for its World Cup programming and slate of new games, and believes it can turn same-store sales positive over the next eight months.
Chick-fil-A has been dethroned. Jersey Mike’s is this year’s top-rated quick-service brand in the American Customer Satisfaction Index Restaurant and Food Delivery Study 2026, stepping past longtime leader Chick-fil-A. It’s a notable achievement, given Chick-fil-A has held the top spot in the index for 11 years. The chicken chain maintained its high score of 83, but Jersey Mike’s — which was ranked for the first time in this year’s survey — leaped to the top with a score of 84. Among full-service chains in the customer satisfaction survey, LongHorn Steakhouse tied with Texas Roadhouse for the top score of 82, though both saw their scores decline slightly. Olive Garden’s score remained unchanged at 81.
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About the Authors
Lisa Jennings
Executive Editor, Restaurant Business
Lisa Jennings is a veteran restaurant industry reporter and editor who covers the fast-casual sector, independent restaurants and emerging chain concepts. Her experience includes other industry publications as well as the daily newspaper The Commercial Appeal in Memphis, Tenn., where she was Food Editor. Her work has been cited in the Los Angeles Times, Business Insider, FoodBeast, The Huffington Post, Time.com and more.
Leigh Anne Zinsmeister
Managing Editor
Leigh Anne Zinsmeister is a managing editor for Informa’s Foodservices Vertical, specifically Nation’s Restaurant News, Restaurant Hospitality, and Foodservice Director. Leigh Anne works on all of the brands’ special reports, including Nation’s Restaurant News’ annual Top 500 report and Restaurant Hospitality’s Best Cocktails and Best Sandwiches contests. She also manages the group’s digital engagement team, and was the managing editor for Supermarket News until December 2024.
Leigh Anne lives in New York City, but also claims Phoenix, Dallas and Cleveland as hometowns. Leigh Anne holds a bachelor’s degree in print journalism from the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University, where she also studied European history.
Email Leigh Anne at [email protected]
Leigh Anne Zinsmeister’s experience:
Group Managing Editor, Informa’s Foodservices Vertical (Aug. 2021-present)
Group Content Manager, Informa Restaurant and Food Group (Feb. 2020-Aug. 2021)
Digital Content Manager, Informa Restaurant and Food Group (April 2018-Feb. 2020)
Digital Content Producer, Informa Restaurant and Food Group (June 2016-April 2018)
Community Moderator, Mail Online (March 2014-June 2016)
Wire Editor, Gannett’s Phoenix Design studio (The Arizona Republic, The Reno Gazette-Journal, The Statesman Journal, The Great Falls Tribune, The Visalia Times-Delta, The Tulare Advance Register, The Salinas Californian, The St. George Spectrum, The Desert Sun, The Coloradoan) (Jan. 2012-March 2014)
Group Managing Editor, Informa’s Foodservices Vertical (Aug. 2021-present)
Group Content Manager, Informa Restaurant and Food Group (Feb. 2020-Aug. 2021)
Digital Content Manager, Informa Restaurant and Food Group (April 2018-Feb. 2020)
Digital Content Producer, Informa Restaurant and Food Group (June 2016-April 2018)
Community Moderator, Mail Online (March 2014-June 2016)
Wire Editor, Gannett’s Phoenix Design studio (The Arizona Republic, The Reno Gazette-Journal, The Statesman Journal, The Great Falls Tribune, The Visalia Times-Delta, The Tulare Advance Register, The Salinas Californian, The St. George Spectrum, The Desert Sun, The Coloradoan) (Jan. 2012-March 2014)
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Source: This story originated with Nation's Restaurant News.
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