Pizza Hut has highlighted its brand commitment to quality, creativity, innovation, company culture and employee experiences through its annual international competition titled Global Pizza Hut Championships, which offers team members from across the world the opportunity to demonstrate their skills and pizza making prowess.
For the first time in four years, the brand held the Global Pizza Hut Championships in Dubai. Following a ‘battle’ between teams from 12 countries, the brand named the Bahrain team as the 2024 Global Pizza Hut Champion.
The winning duo from Bahrain stood out by crafting flawless pan and stuffed crust pizzas in record time, showcasing their mastery of global brand standards for pizza making.
“We spend many hours of hard work and dedication to perfect our pizza making, and I hope this competition inspires Pizza Hut restaurant teams around the world to be the best by showing that we have a global, world-class operation everywhere,” said Clara Alcantara, the Restaurant General Manager on the winning team from Pizza Hut Bahrain.
“Winning the Championships shows that we don’t just sell pizza – we also have a passion for pizza making and a love for the Pizza Hut brand,” Alcantara added.
The Global Pizza Hut Championships also included a “Make Table Magic” innovation contest, where team members showed off their creativity by developing pizza innovations. This year’s winning innovation was the Dakgalbi Pizza from Korea – a customisable, shareable pizza experience that blended the fiery spice of marinated chicken and vibrant veggies, all smothered in a variety of delicious cheeses.
To add to the fun, the Championship also included a “Winning Recipe” cheer competition filled with spirited performances that combine culture and creativity.
Entry to the Championships was open to any team across the 110 countries where the brand operates. Each team competed within their region over the summer before finalists were selected to represent their country at the event. This year’s finalist teams hailed from Bahrain, Canada, Egypt, Portugal, Guatemala, Honduras, Indonesia, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, United Kingdom and United States.
Each team consisted of a restaurant general manager (RGM) and team member demonstrating their speed and precision in the pizza making process and expert cutting techniques. In addition to claiming the Global Pizza Hut Champion title, the first-place winners also received a “Global Gold Pan” trophy and a cash prize of $3,000.
“The brand operates across many geographies and cultures with unique tastes and needs, but the thread that connects all of our restaurant teams is their dedication to consistently providing guests with craveable pizza – no matter where they are in the world,” said Shannon Garcia, President, Global Franchise Markets & Global Operations, Pizza Hut.
“The Championships showcase the common passion our teams have for connecting people through the joy of pizza and allow us to celebrate and recognise them for their inspiring skills and hard work,” Garcia concluded.
