Pizza Hut returns to the Southern Suburbs of Athens
Pizza Hut is making a dynamic return to the Greek market and is expanding into the Southern Suburbs of Athens, with a new store in Nea Smyrni, while openings in Glyfada and Piraeus are already in the immediate plans.
- 17/11/2025, 16:17
Pizza Hut is expanding into the Southern Suburbs of Athens through the Cypriot group PHC Franchised Restaurants Public Ltd., owned by entrepreneur Lysandros Ioannou. In Greece, the group manages the restaurant brands Pizza Hut, Burger King, Wagamama, and Jamie Oliver Kitchen.
The second store in Greece in this new era of the world-renowned restaurant chain opened on Monday, 17 November, in Nea Smyrni on Eleftheriou Venizelou Street (El. Venizelou 71), while another store is expected to open in Chalandri on Ethnikis Antistaseos 39 by mid-December. The first restaurant of the new Pizza Hut era has already been operating since December 2024 in Pangrati.
The stores have seating, with customers collecting their meal through a self-service model, unlike the earlier years of Pizza Hut’s presence in Greece, when full table service was also provided.
Glyfada, Piraeus, and Peristeri in the plans
According to what the Country Manager of the Cypriot group in Greece tells NouPou: “Our plan is to open more Pizza Hut stores in the Southern Suburbs of Athens. Among other areas, we are currently looking at Glyfada, although there is no specific location we have agreed on. We will open Pizza Hut stores in all the central areas of Athens, as we are also interested in Piraeus, Peristeri, and the Northern Suburbs.”
The first Burger King outside airports is opening
At the same time, PHC Franchised Restaurants is also preparing the first Burger King restaurant in Athens, which will be located in the central square of Chalandri. Expansion into the Southern Suburbs of Athens is also part of the plan in this case, specifically in Glyfada.
It is worth noting that there are already restaurants of the well-known burger chain operating at Athens International Airport “Eleftherios Venizelos,” Rhodes International Airport “Diagoras,” and Corfu International Airport “Ioannis Kapodistrias.” However, these restaurants are managed by SSP Greece, a group active in airport dining.
About the PHC Group
PHC already operates more than 130 stores in Cyprus and Greece, with a turnover exceeding 120 million euros and more than 3,000 employees.
Lysandros Ioannou himself brings long-standing and multifaceted experience from global giants such as Pepsi Cola International and Procter & Gamble. He has demonstrated that he has both the background and managerial focus required to systematically handle major brands, and since taking over PHC Franchised Restaurants Public Ltd. in 1998, he has led the group into continuous growth, with a strong portfolio that includes leading brands such as Pizza Hut, Burger King, Paul, Caffè Nero, Wagamama, and others.
The first era of Pizza Hut in Greece
However, looking back at Pizza Hut’s previous presence in Greece is inevitable. The sudden shutdown in 2020 took place during the pandemic, with Food Plus—the brand’s operator at the time—citing force majeure and activating a related clause allowing the termination of its contract with Yum! Brands, the American multinational restaurant group that owns the Pizza Hut trademark. Since then, the company has continued operating only KFC restaurants, gradually improving its financial performance after a period of losses.
Today, five years later, the repositioning of Pizza Hut in Greece is not simply a commercial relaunch. It represents a move with a clear growth-oriented character, reflecting the maturity of the domestic market and PHC’s ambition to further strengthen its presence in the food service sector. According to Mr. Doumis from PHC, Pizza Hut’s performance following the opening of the first store in Pangrati is more than satisfactory and significantly better than the group’s initial expectations.
Its journey through time
The story of Pizza Hut began on 31 May 1958, when brothers Dan and Frank Carney, then students at Wichita State University, decided to open their first restaurant in a small location in the city of Wichita, Kansas.
Their venture was immediately well received. Within just six months, the second store opened, and in less than a year the network had already expanded to six locations. This laid the foundations for what would become one of the most recognizable pizza chains worldwide.