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At one time, Pizza Hut was the favorite for families and friends to indulge in its all-you-can-eat buffet, endless salad selection, and make-your-own dessert.

However a declining number of customers are choosing the restaurant these days, and it is shutting down half of its British outlets after being bought out of administration for the second time this year.

It was common to visit Pizza Hut when I was a child,” explains Prudence. “It was a regular outing, you'd go on a Sunday – spend the whole day there.” But now, aged 24, she says “it's no longer popular.”

According to young customer Martina, the very elements Pizza Hut has been famous for since it launched in the UK in the 1970s are now less appealing.

“The manner in which they do their buffet and their salad bar, it seems as if they are cheapening on their quality and have lower standards... They offer so much food and you're like ‘How?’”

Since food prices have risen sharply, Pizza Hut's buffet-style service has become increasingly pricey to maintain. As have its restaurants, which are being reduced from over 130 to a smaller figure.

The company, similar to other firms, has also experienced its operating costs increase. In April this year, staffing costs increased due to increases in the legal wage floor and an higher rate of employer taxes.

A couple in their thirties and twenties explain they frequently dined at Pizza Hut for a date “from time to time”, but now they choose Domino's and think Pizza Hut is “very overpriced”.

Depending on your selection, Pizza Hut and Domino's rates are similar, notes a culinary author.

Even though Pizza Hut does offer off-premise options through external services, it is losing out to big rivals which specialize to off-premise dining.

“Domino's has managed to dominate the delivery market thanks to intensive advertising and constantly running deals that make consumers feel like they're saving money, when in reality the base costs are quite high,” explains the specialist.

But for Chris and Joanne it is worth it to get their special meal delivered to their door.

“We predominantly have meals at home now instead of we eat out,” explains Joanne, matching latest data that show a decline in people going to informal dining spots.

In the warmer season, informal dining venues saw a 6% drop in patrons compared to the previous year.

Additionally, another rival to pizza from eateries: the cook-at-home oven pizza.

An industry leader, senior partner at an advisory group, explains that not only have supermarkets been providing high-quality oven-ready pizzas for years – some are even selling pizza-making appliances.

“Evolving preferences are also contributing in the success of casual eateries,” states the expert.

The increased interest of high protein diets has increased sales at poultry outlets, while affecting sales of carb-heavy pizza, he adds.

Because people visit restaurants less frequently, they may seek out a more high-quality meal, and Pizza Hut's classic look with comfortable booths and nostalgic table settings can feel more retro than premium.

The “explosion of artisanal pizza places” over the last decade and a half, including new entrants, has “dramatically shifted the general opinion of what quality pizza is,” explains the food expert.

“A crisp, airy, digestible pizza with a carefully curated additions, not the massively greasy, heavy and overloaded pizzas of the past. That, I think, is what's caused Pizza Hut's decline,” she states.

“What person would spend nearly eighteen pounds on a modest, low-quality, underwhelming pizza from a chain when you can get a beautiful, masterfully-made Margherita for under a tenner at one of the many real Italian restaurants around the country?

“The decision is simple.”

Dan Puddle, who runs a small business based in a regional area comments: “People haven’t lost interest in pizza – they just want better pizza for their money.”

He says his mobile setup can offer gourmet pizza at accessible prices, and that Pizza Hut had difficulty because it failed to adapt with changing preferences.

According to Pizzarova in Bristol, owner Jack Lander says the pizza market is diversifying but Pizza Hut has failed to offer anything innovative.

“Currently available are individual slices, artisanal styles, New Haven-style, artisan base, Neapolitan, rectangular – it's a delightful challenge for a pizza-loving consumer to discover.”

He says Pizza Hut “must rebrand” as the youth don't have any fond memories or allegiance to the brand.

Gradually, Pizza Hut's customer base has been fragmented and distributed to its more modern, agile alternatives. To sustain its high labor and location costs, it would have to charge more – which commentators say is difficult at a time when household budgets are decreasing.

The managing director of Pizza Hut's global operations said the rescue aimed “to protect our customer service and retain staff where possible”.

It was explained its first focus was to maintain service at the surviving locations and off-premise points and to support colleagues through the restructure.

But with so much money going into maintaining its outlets, it probably cannot to allocate significant resources in its off-premise division because the sector is “complex and working with existing third-party platforms comes at a cost”, analysts say.

But, he adds, reducing expenses by exiting oversaturated towns and city centres could be a effective strategy to adapt.