Pizza Hut tests new Skinny Slice in U.S. markets

NEW YORK – Pizza Hut is testing out a lighter pizza in two U.S. markets as it seeks to freshen up its menu and regain its footing against competitors.

The tests of the “Skinny Slice” pies began this week at several dozen restaurants in Toledo, Ohio, and West Palm Beach, Florida. The pies simply use less of the same dough used for regular pies and are lighter on the toppings, said Doug Terfehr, a Pizza Hut spokesman.

Several fast-food and restaurant chains have turned to lighter offerings over the years as a way to update their images, with varying degrees of success. Burger King, for instance, recently said the majority of its U.S. restaurants would stop offering lower-calorie french fries less than a year after the so-called “Satisfries” were introduced.

Pizza Hut’s test varies in the two markets. In Toledo, customers can create their own Skinny Slice pies with up to five toppings, with each slice having 300 calories or less. In West Palm Beach, customers can pick from one of six predetermined pies, with each slice having 250 calories or less.

The Skinny Slice pies are intended as a lighter version of Pizza Hut’s hand-tossed crusts; a plain slice of the regular hand-tossed pie has 300 calories, according to the chain’s website. A slice of the pan pizza has 350 calories and a slice of the “Thin ’N Crispy” has 260 calories.

Pizza Hut also rolled out “Fit ’N Delicious” pies more than a decade ago that had even fewer calories than the new Skinny Slice pies by going lighter on toppings. If the test proves successful, the Skinny Slice pies would replace the Fit ’N Delicious pies, which are still available on request, Terfehr said in an email.