As people go out to eat less frequently they may look for a more a premium experience and Pizza Hut’s American-diner style with booth seating and red and white checked plastic table cloths can feel more retro than upmarket.
The “explosion of high-quality pizzerias” over the last 10 to 15 years, such as Franco Manca, has “fundamentally changed the public’s perception of what good pizza is,” says Ms Crouch.
“A light, fresh, easy-to-digest product with a few choice toppings, not the massively greasy, heavy and overloaded pizzas of the past. That, I think, is what’s caused Pizza Hut’s downfall,” she says.
“Why would anyone spend £17.99 on a small, substandard, disappointing pizza from a chain when you can get a beautiful, masterfully-made Margherita for under a tenner at one of the many authentic Italian pizzerias around the country?
“It’s a no-brainer.”