Retro Pizza Hut in Florida draws diners from hours away as 1980s vibe fuels sales surge

Daland Corp.’s Pizza Hut Classic in Homosassa Springs, Florida, is pulling guests from distances of two to three hours, thanks to its nostalgic 1980s interior featuring red cups, checkerboard tablecloths and Tiffany-style lighting. President Tim Sparks notes that the influx has forced the company to redeploy employees from other restaurants to keep service standards high, and that sales have more than doubled since the remodel.

The Classic program, initiated by Pizza Hut in 2017, first appeared at Daland’s Dahlonega, Georgia site and now spans 39 locations. Although Pizza Hut later scaled back the retro remodels, Daland retained the concept and is now courting five vendors to reproduce the discontinued lamps. Customer response has been strong across age groups, with teens and twenties posting videos online, and the trend is prompting plans to add retro touches such as red curtains at other Daland venues.