Pizza Hut adds menu option in bid to bolster bigger ‘slice’ of profit pie

Pizza Hut rolled out a new menu option Tuesday that serves up individual slices for the first time in the fast-food company’s 64-year history.

The new Pizza Hut Melts cram a choice of toppings and cheese between two slices of its Thin N’ Crispy crust.

The “quick savory snack, lunch, or on-the-go dinner” is available at select outlets for $6.99. The Yum Brands-owned chain, founded in Wichita, Kan., in 1958, has more than 6,000 locations in the US — with nearly 300 in New York.

“We like to say – pizza is for WE, Melts are for ME,” said Lindsay Morgan, the chief marketing officer at Pizza Hut. “Sometimes you want the delicious taste of pizza all for yourself without having to order and share an entire pie.”

Pizza Hut hopes its latest addition will help in its battle with rivals like Domino’s and Little Caesars. The company reported a 3% loss of global sales in its most recent quarter, as compared to the same time last year.

As part of the rollout, the fast-food giant will award $100 to select online customers who sign an “MDA” — Melts Disclosure Agreement — a promise not to show images of the slice on social platforms because “Melts are not for sharing.”

The Melts are available in four different options — pepperoni lover’s served with marinara dipping sauce, buffalo chicken served with buffalo and ranch dipping sauce, chicken bacon parmesan with ranch sauce on the side and meat lover’s with marinara sauce.

The pizza chain failed in a previous effort to tap the individual slices market when it tested the waters in 2014 at a few locations.

Shares of Yum Brands, which also owns KFC and Taco Bell, were up about 1%, at $111, as of midday Tuesday.