Apparently, Pizza Hut is ready to sell beer but they’re not the only ones. Pizza Hut is joining the ranks of Starbucks and Burger King as one of the chain restaurants that serves alcohol at some of their nationwide locations.
One Pizza Hut location in Trenton City, GA, applied on Monday for the right to sell beer in their establishment according to The Dade County Sentinel. Trenton began the ordinance last August in an effort to allow the restaurant to sell wine and beer by the drink. Due to the strict nature of serving to minors, workers at the locations will have to complete finger print and background checks before being able to serve customers.
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Another Pizza Hut location in Massillon, OH, also applied for a license to sell wine to customers with the Ohio Department of Commerce Division of Liquor Control according to CantonRep.com. This location already has approval to serve beer and other spirits.
But serving beer at Pizza Hut isn’t a completely new concept. In 2009, a Pizza Hut in Texas was put under fire after offering beer deliveries according to The Daily Fork. The establishment was flagged by the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission after fear of minors being served and delivered beer.
Burger King also made headlines last year after planning on selling beer at one of their Whopper Bar establishments in South Beach. According to USA Today, alcohol is only served at their Whopper Bar locations and not at their traditional fast food restaurants. Other Whopper Bar locations include Times Square in Manhattan, Los Angeles and Las Vegas.
Burger King even went as far to serve their beer in specially made bottles in order to keep the beverages cold, costing customers $8, almost $2 more than if you were to buy a traditional meal their, USA Today reported.
Even the king of caffeine, Starbucks, hopped on the alcohol wagon in 2009 by opening “15th Avenue Coffee and Tea, inspired by Starbucks” in Seattle, WA, which sells wine along with their popular coffee’s and teas according to USA Today. Their website describes the establishment as serving, “Whole leaf teas, delicate pastries, live music, beer and wine. This coffee shop meets you at street level.”
Bradford Hudson, marketing professor at Boston University spoke with USA Today about the change saying that Burger King most likely is looking to capture the attention of the 30 and under crowd. Linda Lipsky, a restaurant consultant, also commented. “The Burger King customer is aging, so they’re just trying to grow up with the customer.”
