Pizza hat in Dortmund: End of an era on the Ostenhellweg!

Pizza hat in Dortmund: End of an era on the Ostenhellweg!

Pizza Hut closed his last branch in Dortmund on the Ostenhellweg on February 16, 2025. The closure of this branch was announced by signs on the window front, which mark the end of an era for the American restaurant chain. Before it was closed, this branch was the only remaining pizza hat branch in Dortmund. The penultimate branch had already closed in the Thier gallery in 2021, which further changed the atmosphere in the city center. The window of the remaining Auarants are now equipped with posters that indicate the closure, while the shop is already empty and the search for a successor for the restaurant has started, like merkur.de reported

The reasons for closing the Dortmund branch are unclear; At a request from ruHR24.de there was no answer. One thing is certain, however, that Pizza Hut, a brand that has existed since 1958, to the catering group Yum! Brands, Inc. heard, has increasingly difficulties in Germany. Yum! Brands also operates other well -known brands such as KFC and Taco Bell.

A look back at the changes

The closure on the Ostenhellweg is not the only changes in downtown Dortmund. Several business has closed their doors in recent years. Among other things, the furniture store "Maison's du Mond" left the location in March 2024, while Coolblue opened in November of the same year. The decoration chain "Depot" also gave up in December 2024, and C&A announced in 2023 to close in 2025 and move to the former Mayersche branch on the Westenhellweg. In addition, the fashion chain "Ulla Popken" closed in October 2024 and moved its location to Dortmund-Aplerbeck. The cheap chain "Nanu Nana" was no longer represented in 2022.

The catering market in Germany has been shaped by significant changes for several years. G--gastro.de shows that the number of catering businesses decreased by 9.7 % from 2019 to 2020. In September 2023, the number of employees in the catering trade was 6.7 % below the level of September 2019. Smaller companies were particularly affected, which illustrates the overall economic situation in the industry. Despite the challenges, the fast food market is growing, with 71 % of German Fast food restaurants visiting.

The outlook for gastronomy

Despite the closure of the last Pizza Hut branch in Dortmund, there is an outlook on new opportunities. In the Thier Gallery, which was also affected by closings in the past, three new shops of the Inditex Group are to open in 2025: Bershka, Pull & Bear and Stradivarius. Gastronomy remains an important economic factor in Germany, with 78 % of the guests prefer restaurants with regional products. This could indicate that new, innovative concepts in the city could better address the needs of modern consumers.

Overall, the closure of the Pizza Hut branch in Dortmund shows how dynamic and changeable the catering market is. The search for a new concept and adaptation to the market needs will be crucial for future success in Dortmund city center.