The Pizza Hut on north Main Avenue will move to downtown Durango to expand its delivery area, a move that will also eliminate its dining area and allow the franchise to concentrate on deliveries and carryouts.
Don George, vice president of operations for Palo Alto Inc., the franchise owner of Durango’s Pizza Hut, said the planned opening for the carryout-delivery store will be Dec. 7 in Suite 2 of the Crossroads Center, 1316 Main Ave., between the Super Nova Sleep Center and AutoZone.
“The move helps us better serve Durango,” George said. “The trend in pizza is to carry out and delivery. We’re gaining an increased delivery area to the south and keeping our existing delivery area.”
The bulk of the old store’s sales already came from delivery, and the loss of the dining room should be more than compensated by the increased delivery range, he said.
“The building was also over 30 years old, and it will be nice having a newly remodeled place,” George said.
The old restaurant, which closed Monday at 3677 Main Ave., had about 20 employees, the majority of whom were part time, and George said he expects the new store will be hiring more part-time employees.
Palo Alto Inc. operates 32 Pizza Huts in Colorado and New Mexico. It also operates 200 Taco Bell restaurants and more than 200 KFCs. Palo Alto does not own the Taco Bell, 2902 Main Ave., in Durango, nor did it own the now-closed KFC, 2933 Main Ave.
The KFC is being converted to the fast-casual restaurant, Bird’s, a new concept from the co-owners of Steamworks Brewing Co. and El Moro, Kris Oyler and Brian McEachron. Bird’s is expected to open in spring 2019.
Bird’s menu will feature poultry dishes made from scratch. It will be focused on rotisserie-style chicken with a combination of healthy sides and sauces along with chicken-centric sandwiches and salads. They estimate the price of a meal at Bird’s will be around $12. parmijo@durangoherald.com
