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Once, Pizza Hut was the top choice for groups and loved ones to indulge in its unlimited dining experience, help-yourself greens station, and self-serve ice-cream.

However fewer customers are visiting the restaurant these days, and it is reducing half of its British locations after being acquired following financial trouble for the second occasion this calendar year.

“We used to go Pizza Hut when I was a child,” says a young adult. “It was like a family thing, you'd go on a Sunday – spend the whole day there.” However, at present, in her mid-twenties, she says “it's not a thing anymore.”

According to a diner in her twenties, the very elements Pizza Hut has been known and loved for since it launched in the UK in the 1970s are now not-so-hot.

“How they do their all-you-can-eat and their salad bar, it feels like they are cutting corners and have inferior offerings... They're giving away so much food and you're like ‘How can they?’”

Because ingredient expenses have soared, Pizza Hut's buffet-style service has become increasingly pricey to operate. As have its locations, which are being reduced from over 130 to 64.

The chain, similar to other firms, has also seen its operating costs rise. Earlier this year, employee wages jumped due to increases in the legal wage floor and an higher rate of employer national insurance contributions.

Two diners mention they frequently dined at Pizza Hut for a date “every now and then”, but now they choose Domino's and think Pizza Hut is “not good value”.

Based on your order, Pizza Hut and Domino's prices are close, explains an industry analyst.

Although Pizza Hut provides takeaway and deliveries through third-party apps, it is losing out to larger chains which focus exclusively to this market.

“The rival chain has taken over the off-premise pizza industry thanks to strong promotions and constantly running deals that make shoppers feel like they're getting a bargain, when in reality the standard rates are on the higher side,” notes the analyst.

Yet for Chris and Joanne it is justified to get their special meal brought to their home.

“We definitely eat at home now rather than we eat out,” says one of the diners, echoing current figures that show a drop in people visiting casual and fast-food restaurants.

In the warmer season, informal dining venues saw a notable decrease in diners compared to the previous year.

Additionally, a further alternative to ordered-in pies: the cook-at-home oven pizza.

Will Hawkley, global lead for leisure at a leading firm, notes that not only have retailers been providing good-standard prepared pies for a long time – some are even selling pizza-making appliances.

“Lifestyle changes are also contributing in the popularity of casual eateries,” states the expert.

The growing trend of low-carb regimens has driven sales at poultry outlets, while affecting sales of high-carbohydrate options, he continues.

Because people go out to eat not as often, they may look for a more premium experience, and Pizza Hut's retro theme with booth seating and red and white checked plastic table cloths can feel more retro than luxurious.

The growth of artisanal pizza places” over the last decade and a half, such as new entrants, has “dramatically shifted the public's perception of what excellent pie is,” notes the culinary analyst.

“A thin, flavorful, gentle crust with a carefully curated additions, not the overly oily, dense and piled-high pizzas of the past. That, arguably, is what's caused Pizza Hut's decline,” she states.

“What person would spend £17.99 on a tiny, mediocre, unsatisfying pizza from a franchise when you can get a stunning, expertly crafted Margherita for a lower price at one of the many real Italian restaurants around the country?

“The decision is simple.”

Dan Puddle, who owns Smokey Deez based in Suffolk explains: “It's not that fallen out of love with pizza – they just want better pizza for their money.”

The owner says his mobile setup can offer premium pizza at reasonable rates, and that Pizza Hut struggled because it was unable to evolve with evolving tastes.

According to a small pizza brand in a UK location, the founder says the pizza market is diversifying but Pizza Hut has not provided anything fresh.

“Currently available are slice concepts, artisanal styles, new haven, fermented dough, wood-fired, deep-dish – it's a heavenly minefield for a pizza enthusiast to discover.”

The owner says Pizza Hut “must rebrand” as younger people don't have any emotional connection or attachment to the brand.

In recent years, Pizza Hut's customer base has been sliced up and distributed to its trendier, more nimble alternatives. To maintain its costly operations, it would have to raise prices – which experts say is difficult at a time when personal spending are shrinking.

The leadership of Pizza Hut's global operations said the acquisition aimed “to ensure our guest experience and retain staff where possible”.

It was explained its immediate priority was to maintain service at the surviving locations and takeaway hubs and to help employees through the restructure.

Yet with significant funds going into running its restaurants, it likely can't afford to allocate significant resources in its takeaway operation because the industry is “difficult and using existing delivery apps comes at a price”, commentators say.

But, he adds, lowering overhead by exiting oversaturated towns and city centres could be a smart move to adjust.