## Pizza Hut’s Kale Connection## Pizza Hut’s Kale Connection Before kale became a trendy ingredient in salads and smoothies, it held a rather unusual purpose at Pizza Hut. Until 2013, the pizza chain was the largest consumer of kale in America, despite never serving it to customers. Kale’s Role as Salad Bar Decor Pizza Hut used kale as a decoration on its salad buffets. It would surround the dishes of ingredients, keeping them cold by coating the ice. This practice may seem wasteful, but it speaks to the company’s commitment to providing fresh salad options. Refrigerated Salad Bars Replace Kale In 2013, Pizza Hut made a switch to refrigerated salad bars, eliminating the need for the kale-coated ice. This change allowed for better temperature control and extended the shelf life of salad ingredients. Pizza Hut and Kale: A Breakup Story The introduction of refrigerated salad bars marked the end of Pizza Hut’s kale era. With the new system, the pizza chain shifted its focus to pizza, leaving kale behind. Today, salads are no longer a menu staple in most Pizza Hut locations. Kale’s Rise to Fame While its days at Pizza Hut may be long gone, kale has since soared in popularity. It has become a versatile ingredient in various dishes and is celebrated for its nutritional benefits, including high levels of antioxidants and anti-cancer compounds. A Culinary Journey from Garnish to Star The cruciferous green has evolved significantly since its humble garnish days at Pizza Hut. Today, it is found in a wide range of recipes, including salads, lasagna, and even Portuguese soup. Restaurants like Kale My Name showcase the star power of this leafy vegetable. Conclusion Pizza Hut’s former relationship with kale was a unique footnote in the culinary world. Although the pizza chain has moved on to other culinary pursuits, kale has blossomed into a highly valued ingredient. Its nutritional benefits and versatility continue to make it a popular choice for health-conscious consumers.
Kale has become the go-to green vegetable for salads, smoothies, and coleslaws over the past decade. It started trending around 2011, when publicist Oberon Sinclair created a fake campaign for the nonexistent “American Kale Association,” using guerrilla marketing to get kale on menus across New York City. In 2012, Bon Appetit proclaimed it “the year of kale,” and in 2014, Beyoncé wore a sweatshirt emblazoned with the leafy green’s name in a music video. These instances, combined with the fact that kale is a nutritious food rich in antioxidants, helped the vegetable skyrocket in popularity. But before it became a staple in consumers’ health journeys across the country, it had a less demanding job: garnishing the salad bar at Pizza Hut.
Until 2013, the pizza conglomerate used kale to adorn its salad buffets. In 2012, Pizza Hut purchased nearly 14,000 pounds of the vegetable, making it the largest consumer of kale in America, despite never serving the product to customers. The kale wasn’t just used for decorative purposes; it was used to coat the ice that surrounded the dishes of ingredients, keeping them cold. In 2013, the pizza chain switched to a refrigerated salad bar to keep ingredients fresh.
Pizza Hut and Kale After a Breakup
Though these two powerhouses once shared a home, they went their separate ways thanks to Pizza Hut’s refrigerated salad bars a decade ago. The salad bars, however, no longer exist in the U.S. (though they do in some locations in Canada, the U.K., and Australia), partly due to the pandemic and partly due to low demand. Salads aren’t even listed as a menu item on the company’s website and are only served at select locations anymore. These days, the brand is focused entirely on pizza. Last year, Pizza Hut broke the record for the world’s largest pizza with a 68,000-pound pie. Seriously, nobody tops the Hut, even if they don’t have kale.
The cruciferous green has gained a reputation since its days as a garnish, now becoming the star of its own salads, plus other hearty kale recipes like lasagna and Portuguese soup. It’s even found its way into restaurant names like Kale My Name in Chicago. This is thanks to its many different varieties and nutritional benefits, including anti-cancer compounds and a potential ability to lower cholesterol. While there were 145 million pounds of kale on the U.S. market in 2012, demand has since skyrocketed, with 335 million pounds on the market in 2017. If you haven’t given kale a try yet, it’s worth a try, and if you don’t like the flavor, you can always use it as a garnish.
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