Pasta Hut

[Rebbecca]

Hi guys, I don't know if you heard but Pizza Hut is changing to Pasta Hut. I was very excited when I saw this as I presumed that they were going to offer a Vegan main, but I've just looked on the website and they don't seem to be.

http://www.pastahut.co.uk/Home

What do you think?

[Risker]

Here's the full list of products which states what's vegan or not - http://www.pizzahut.co.uk/assets/res...ments-1008.pdf

[Rebbecca]

Thanks. I don't have abode though, Could you post the info on here?

[Risker]

Not easily, there's 17 pages and it's all in tables so I couldn't cut and paste...

Ah what the hell, gimme a few mins...

[Rebbecca]

Whoops! Never mind the hun! I'm not desperate to know! Thanks anyway!

[Risker]

I tried making a list but it's all different depending on wether it's eat in, take away or express store so was too complicated. (no wonder it's 17 pages)

[Risker]

Try this website - http://view.samurajdata.se/

Lets you view PDF's without installing acrobat.

[PaintedXSkyline]

pizza hut is owned by Yum band foods, so even if they do have vegan options, I don't know if you'd want to buy from them.

[Risker]

.

[harpy]

This whole name-change story is a bit suspect, and I'm not the only one that thinks so

http://www.blogstorm.co.uk/pizza-hut...arketing/1257/
http://www.marketingweek.co.uk/cgi-b...=259&h=263&f=3

If it changes its name to "Tofu Hut" I might consider going there

[Risker]

Of course it's an advertising stunt, how could changing the name be anything other than marketing?

[Gorilla]

i thought it was a lame joke gimmick as soon as i heard about it, i mean their new adverts are just dumb. it's just like Heinz saying they were going to stop making salad cream, or Cadburys bringing back Wispa due to 'customer demand' or Coco Pops changing their name to Choco Krispies and back again.

it's all lies i tell you

their vegan list is a little confusing and a lot to trawl through, if i'm feeling bored later maybe i'll make a list of everything that's vegan and post it for people who can't/don't want to read the pdf

[harpy]

I don't think it will take you too long Gorilla because as far as I can see there isn't much for vegans - most of what is marked vegan seems to be individual ingredients, like the lettuce in the chicken salad

There's good old pasta arrabiata, though - often a handy standby for vegans. And it looks as if they could do a vegan pizza.

ETA I think the marketing campaign may well be a rip-off of the Wispa business - apparently P. Hut have launched a Facebook page as well.

[Gorilla]

I don't think it will take you too long Gorilla because as far as I can see there isn't much for vegans - most of what is marked vegan seems to be individual ingredients, like the lettuce in the chicken salad

There's good old pasta arrabiata, though - often a handy standby for vegans. And it looks as if they could do a vegan pizza.

yes, it looks like you could ask them for a plate of lettuce if you were stuck

well here's the list of vegan options (excluding things like lettuce lol):

potato wedges
BBQ sauce, sweet chilli sauce, ketchup, BBQ tabasco sauce
nachos minus cheese and sour cream dressing (if they'll do that)
chilli onion rings
savoury seasoned fries
side salad
arrabiata pasta
garden salad with vinigarette
pan pizza and The Italian pizza (obviously without cheese) - all the vegetable and fruit toppings are vegan
from the salad bar: tabbouleh, seasonal salad, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, shredded carrot, apple and grapes, sweetcorn, red onion slices, bacon bits, large salad croutons, low fat vinigarette
from the hot buffet: spicy tomato & red pepper

surprisingly not too bad

[harpy]

Yes, that isn't too bad is it? Actually now you mention it I remember doing OK from their salad bar in an emergency about 12 years ago. (I have a bit of a thing about salad bars though as they seem rather unhygienic so I'd probably go for the pasta now)

[Rebbecca]

The bacon bits are vegan? What are they made of?

Chilli onion rings sound nice.

[Gorilla]

they don't have an ingredients list on there but they're probably soya like the Betty Crocker ones you can buy (they're GM though)

[Stu]

Or they just got it wrong.

Are they allowed to call it 'bacon bits' if it's not bacon?

[Risker]

^ You're right stu, we should report them for breaking the trade descriptions act and force them to use real bits of bacon.

[Stu]

Heh! Twat.

[sugarmouse]

I think they call them bacon flavour bits.
If they are bacon flavour bits, you can easily tell and such things are usually vegan in my experience.
I wouldnt choose to go here but its good I know if I did, there would be things i could eat.
I was worried they mayve sneaked something dairy into the bases of the pizzas.

[veganbikerboy]

they arent changing their name it is a publicity stunt, and of course it has worked! I read an interview with the UKs yum food lady.

they are opening 14 new outlets every WEEK across the globe, i thought that was quite scary in this economic downturn

[Stu]

they arent changing their name

Sorry dude, but you're wrong. I went past one a couple of days ago and it was called 'Pasta Hut.' Unless they're just doing it temporarily.

[veganbikerboy]

really?? is it not just a rip off? it was only last week that i read the interview, she was obviously a big liar

[harpy]

That Marketing Week article I posted a link to says it "has, albeit temporarily, rebranded 30 UK outlets as Pasta Hut to tempt customers to its pasta dishes instead of its pizzas."

[veganbikerboy]

ah, that would explain it, obviously convinced some people

their website is still asking for people to vote on the name change, so I would be surprised if its going ahead.

Also, how would they stand as a franchise? could they do that?

[BlackCats]

their website is still asking for people to vote on the name change, so I would be surprised if its going ahead.

I actually voted on their website today that they should keep it as Pizza Hut. I need to get out more I think.

[Troutina]

The pasta was always rubbish at Pizza Hut!?
Granted I haven't been for about 5 years, but when I got the lunch time buffet thing, the pasta was always dry and rank!

[jonnie falafel]

Maybe they've lost market share to some other purveyor of cheap junk. Who owns pizz hut these days. Is it still Pepsi? Many years ago, in my student days, I worked in a Pizza Rut & on my first day at work without training had to make pizzas. At the end of the first evening my "boss" commented on the numbers of folks who'd had chillies on pizzas that night.... how was I to know the chopped up red bits weren't ordinary red peppers? Nobody sent them back. Seems that the chillies don't taste of much there either. I remember the waiting staff were told that if a customer asked for coke they were to correct it to "Pepsi"... and staff references to Coca Cola were a sackable offence. I decided to leave when I'd had enough of my "boss" (who was about 19 or 20) sexually harrassing the female staff which often involved lifting their skirts up with a broom handle.... what a git.