Pizza Hut Tests Charging Extra For Parmesan and Red Pepper

Rising labor costs in California are likely to blame as the pizza giant tries pricing the traditionally free condiments.

By Emily ClouseStaff Writer

3:15PM • 02/28/19

Everyone knows that guacamole is extra, but typically free add-ons may soon be, too. Nation’s Restaurant News recently confirmed reports with Pizza Hut that the chain is testing $0.99 mini-shakers of parmesan and red pepper flakes in Southern California—two condiments that regular diners are used to dousing onto their pizza for free.

NRN notes that minimum wage in California was raised to $12 last month, with all businesses required to pay workers $15 per hour by 2023. Operators will often raise menu prices to make up for rising overhead costs, or even add surcharges, which some California businesses have started doing, according to the article.

“This is currently not an initiative being widely implemented, as we’re in the early stages of capturing consumer response,” Pizza Hut said in a statement to NRN regarding the $0.99 “Shake Up Pizza Night” shakers. The company did not immediately respond for comment regarding whether smaller quantities of the condiments are available free of charge in the test restaurants.

Read the full article from Nation’s Restaurant News here.