Pizza Hut arrives in Croatia under the leadership of Burger King

The arrival of the famous American pizza chain Pizza Hut in Croatia has been discussed for about a decade, and now we can say that this is the third time lucky for lovers of American pizza. As we learn, the company Kraljevi restorani, which owns the Burger King franchise, has signed a contract directly with the owner of the Pizza Hut brand, the global company Yum!Brands.

– This year, we plan to open three Pizza Hut restaurants in Zagreb and Split, and then we will gradually expand the number of locations in Croatia and neighboring markets. We will split into two teams that will manage both brands, Burger King and Pizza Hut, while the overall business will be led by the owner, Kraljevi restorani – announced Goran Golubić, director of Kraljevi restorani, adding that more details will be made public once contracts for at least five to six locations are signed.

Although it was said that the Pizza Hut franchise is quite an expensive ‘slice’, Golubić states that, regarding the standards themselves, it is not particularly demanding, at least concerning locations that require 100 to 150 square meters and a terrace, but they mainly expect to focus on delivery.

Kraljevi restorani is owned by the global company Global restaurant brands based in the United Kingdom. Currently, there are five Burger King restaurants in Croatia, most of which are located in Zagreb, within shopping centers.

In the past year, the company increased the number of employees from 27 to 49 and revenues from 2.8 to 4.7 million euros, achieving a profit of 327 thousand euros. The management includes Marinko Bob Ivančić and Goran Golubić, and the company is divided into several business segments (Kraljevi restorani, Kraljeve nekretnine, Kraljeva logistika, and Kraljev marketing).

It was expected that the license would be utilized by the company AmRest, which manages KFC restaurants, as was announced two years ago; however, it never came to fruition. Thus, the well-known chain Domino’s Pizza, which arrived in Croatia three years ago, is now facing serious competition in the American pizza segment (Pizza Hut was eaten in 2001 and in space).

Yum!Brands!, an American multinational fast-food corporation, is listed on the Fortune 1000 list and manages the brands KFC, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, and The Habit Burger Grill, while in China, these brands are managed by a separate company, Yum China.

Formerly Tricon Global Restaurant, until 1997, it was part of PepsiCo company, after which it separated and began operating independently as Yum!Brands, becoming the world’s largest fast-food chain. Their global system includes 1,500 franchises across more than 55 thousand hospitality establishments in 155 countries.