As Pizza Hut’s 50th anniversary approached in 2008, the restaurant’s founding family, the Carneys, approached Melcher Media about how we could work together to share their story.

The resulting book is a vibrant journey through time, laid out on 176 glossy pages—and nestled inside a mini cardboard pizza box. The winking packaging captures the quirky, can-do attitude behind the beloved franchise that began as a single 550-square-foot pizzeria in Wichita, Kansas, and grew into an iconic brand. The first complete telling of the company’s history features interviews with dozens of Pizza Hut’s founders, franchisees, and corporate leaders. It is packed with rarely seen photographs, vintage advertising, artifacts, and other pieces of the eatery’s history. Named a 2009 Kansas Notable book, The Pizza Hut Story is a fun, insightful, and inspiring commemoration of the company and its people.