Perry Pizza Hut to close May 12, 2015

After 45 years in Perry, outlet no longer 'profitable,' corporate office says

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Perry Pizza Hut Manager Jesse Siglin, right, works the Saturday lunch hour with Larissa Hornsby, left, and Ricky Luper. The three Perry residents plan to take positions at other area Pizza Huts.

Perry residents have 10 days to order their final personal pan pizzas and chocolate chip cookie pizzas before the Perry Pizza Hut closes up shop on May 12.

“We’ve know for about it for about two weeks,” said Manager Jesse Siglin, “but they told us to keep it a secret for a week.”

The Perry Pizza Hut was built in 1969 and opened in 1970. Siglin said he is sure of the dates because his father told him he worked for Pizza Hut when it opened in Perry.

Siglin said the aging building needs improvements and the lease is soon to expire. Combined with the low profit margin of the Perry restaurant, the factors led the corporate managers to choose to shut up shop, he said.

Pizza Hut is a subsidiary of the world’s largest restaurant company, Yum! Brands Inc. There are more than 6,000 Pizza Huts in the U.S. and more than 5,000 overseas.

Siglin said he has managed the Perry outlet for three years and will begin working out of the Grimes delivery store when the Perry branch closes.

“They’ve been pretty good about offering us other positions in the company,” he said.

Larissa Hornsby of Perry said she will probably go to one of the Pizza Huts in Boone or Ames. She spoke about her plans while serving pizzas to several parties who dined in Saturday afternoon.

Ricky Luper of Perry, who was cooking pizzas and side dishes Saturday, said he will start working in the Ankeny store.

Siglin said he does not expect any ceremonies to mark the end of the Perry Pizza Hut.

“It will be standard operations till the end,” he said. “Corporate’s so much fun.”

A fixture on Perry's retail dining map for 45 years, the Perry Pizza Hut will close May 12 due to shrinking profits and aging infrastructure.
A fixture on Perry’s retail dining map for 45 years, the Perry Pizza Hut will close May 12 due to shrinking profits and aging infrastructure.
The Perry Pizza Hut was built in 1969 and opened in 1970. It will close its doors May 12.
The Perry Pizza Hut was built in 1969 and opened in 1970. It will close its doors May 12.

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