Where old-school dining experience refuses to fade away: 'I used to come here'

Remember when a family night out meant sliding into red vinyl booths under those distinctive red roofs, where the salad bar was an adventure and dessert came with unlimited soft-serve?

If you're nodding along, you're part of a dwindling club—those who experienced the golden age of Pizza Hut's dine-in restaurants.

The first Australian Pizza Hut opened in Belfield, Sydney in April 1970, launching what would become a cultural institution for Australian families.

For three decades, these weren't just restaurants—they were destinations where birthdays were celebrated, family traditions were born, and children learned the fine art of balancing pizza, pasta, and pudding on one plate.

Today, only eight of these time capsules remain scattered across the country, making them rarer than hen's teeth and twice as precious.

When Pizza Hut Ruled Family Dining

Picture the scene: it's 1985, and your family piles into the Commodore for a Saturday night treat.

There was a salad bar with salty bacon bits, slices of popular pizza varieties gently cooling on the counter and, to the joy of the kids, the unlimited dessert bar with soft-serve ice cream and a choice of sugary toppings.

The restaurants were also licensed, so adults could enjoy a glass of wine or a beer while the kids gorged on sweet stuff.

Back in 1987, a family meal cost around $30, which comes out to around $65 in today's money using an inflation calculator, so it wasn't exactly budget dining.

But for many Australian families, it represented something special: a proper night out where parents could relax and children could indulge in the controlled chaos of unlimited everything.

The experience was distinctly different from today's grab-and-go culture. The franchise originated as a dine-in restaurant targeting families and also served alcohol, pasta, salad bars and desserts.

Children would return to the buffet multiple times, parents could actually sit and chat over a beer, and the whole affair felt less like fast food and more like a proper family occasion.

The Great Pizza Hut Extinction

So what happened to this Australian institution? According to Jackie Gavinel, Area Operations Manager for NSW, consumer habits changed dramatically.

'There are fewer restaurants now, there are only eight left, and that's because consumer habits have changed. In the late '90s, 2000s, DVDs came out, DVD shops, video shops, and people were changing their habits to staying at home and dining at home. Getting pizza, and watching a movie was that classic scenario.'

These remaining locations are primarily in regional areas, with some in New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, and Tasmania.

In the mid-1980s, the company moved into other formats, including delivery or carryout and the fast food 'Express' model. The writing was on the wall—families wanted convenience over experience, and the red-roofed dinosaurs began their slow march toward extinction.

Making the Pilgrimage

The rarity of these locations has created an unexpected phenomenon—Pizza Hut pilgrims. Senior Area Operations Manager Keval Darji at the Minto location reports that 'people are coming from far and wide' with customers driving from as far as Canberra and regularly making the trip up from Wollongong 'just to dine in.

So it's not just the local community, but people are coming from far and wide for that Pizza Hut all-you-can-eat experience.'

Walking into one of these surviving locations is genuinely like entering a time machine. The red vinyl booths remain, the familiar pizza warmers still hum, and yes, you can still create that perfect dessert bowl combining brownie, chocolate mousse, and vanilla ice cream that somehow tastes better than the sum of its parts.

The Survivors Adapt and Thrive

These remaining locations haven't just survived—they've evolved. The Minto location has been 'engaging locally with the community, partnering with sporting clubs and local businesses.

We have a partnership with Anytime Fitness next door, and we're partnered with Go Karting next store. We've sponsored local sporting clubs as well, so that helps us stay engaged with the community.'

They've even embraced social media, with staff creating social media content that brings younger customers through the doors. It's a clever blend of preserving nostalgia while staying relevant to new generations.

What You'll Find Today

The good news? According to Jackie Gavinel, 'Food is definitely consistent over the years. The range of pizzas might change that are on the bar, but it's the consistent product. It's still the same product.

The salad bar is still the same salad bar, and you can't go wrong with the brownie, chocolate mousse, and ice cream all together in a bowl.'

Current pricing remains surprisingly reasonable: $24.95 for dinner, $18.95 for weekday lunch, $23.95 for weekend lunch, and just $14.95 for children aged 3-12, with unlimited soft drinks for $6.45.

When you compare this to the $65 in today's money that a family meal cost in 1987, it's actually become more affordable over time.

More Than Just a Meal

What makes these surviving Pizza Huts special isn't just the food—it's the memories they preserve. As Jackie notes, parents regularly bring their children and say 'I used to come here,' 'I had my birthday party here,' and 'I want you to share that experience.'

In an age where everything moves at digital speed, these locations represent something increasingly rare: unchanged spaces where multiple generations can literally share the same experience. Your grandchildren can eat at the same buffet, in the same style of booth, choosing from the same dessert bar that you remember from your own childhood.

The Bigger Picture

These eight remaining Pizza Huts represent more than just restaurants—they're cultural museums of a different era of Australian family life.

The broader trend away from buffets has led to consolidation, with many of the trademark red roofs now pitched atop non-pizza businesses.

There are Verizon stores and Sbarros in old Pizza Huts (though in Australia, you're more likely to find them turned into other takeaway shops or demolished entirely).

What these survivors offer is increasingly precious: the chance to step back into an era when eating out was a genuine occasion, when families gathered around shared tables rather than individual screens, and when the journey to get your food was part of the fun.