Giant fast-food franchisee closing up to 300 Pizza Hut locations

Three hundred Pizza Huts are going dark and 927 other locations are going on the selling block.

NPC International  has reached an agreement with Pizza Hut, whose parent company is Yum! Brands, to close up to 300  Pizza Hut locations and puts its remaining 927 Pizza Hut locations up for sale. NPC is Pizza Hut’s largest U.S. franchisee, representing 20% of the chain’s U.S. restaurant base.

NPC, which filed for bankruptcy protection in early July, also operates nearly 400  Wendy’s locations. It is the largest franchisee of any restaurant concept in the U.S. based on unit count, and the fifth largest restaurant unit operator in the U.S. based on unit count.

CSA