Look Before You 'Leap(lings)!' Pizza Hut' Makes Birthday Wishes Come True for Pizza Lovers Born on Leap Day

For the nearly 200,000 Americans born on Leap Day, the true joy of celebrating their birthday only comes once every four years. This Leap Day, Pizza Hut wants to help those "Leaplings" make up for the birthdays they've lost.

No matter their age, on Feb. 29, anyone who visits a Pizza Hut restaurant and shows a government-issued photo ID to prove they were born on Leap Day (February 29) will receive a free, one-topping Personal Pan Pizza for carryout (participation and store hours vary).

Not only that, the world's largest and most-loved pizza restaurant company will also host a Pizza Party in Anthony, Tex., known as the "Leap Year Capital of the World." Since 1988, the town has hosted a birthday festival each Leap Year for people born on February 29, welcoming individuals from all around the world to its Leap Year celebration. This year, Pizza Hut will make the town's annual birthday party parade better than ever with the choice of a free cheese or pepperoni Personal Pan Pizza from 11-1 p.m. for people in attendance at the annual parade in Anthony, thanks to the pizza restaurant's mobile kitchen.

"Pizza Hut has been the site of many, many birthday parties through the years, and since Leaplings only get to celebrate their true birthdays every four years, we wanted to make their day special and help them honor their birthdays in a big way," said Doug Terfehr, senior director of public relations, Pizza Hut. "To mark the day in an even bigger way, we felt it was only fitting that we bring a pizza party to the Leap Year Capital of the World. We're excited to spend our extra day in 2016 celebrating the best way we know how: with great-tasting, flavorful Pizza Hut pizza."

"As the Leap Year Capital of the World, Leap Day holds a special place in the heart of Anthony," said Martin Lerma, mayor of Anthony, Texas. "With Pizza Hut's help, we'll be able to make this year's celebration even bigger and better than the last."

The Personal Pan Pizzas, one of the all-time favorite items at Pizza Hut, can be topped with one of any of the following fresh ingredients: Mediterranean black olives, Peruvian cherry peppers, fresh mushrooms, fresh spinach, fresh red onions, fresh green bell peppers, sliced banana peppers, sweet pineapple, sliced jalapeo peppers, and diced roma tomatoes as well as pepperoni, Italian sausage, premium salami, classic meatballs, slow-roasted ham, hardwood smoked bacon, grilled chicken, beef and seasoned pork. Customers can choose from six sauces including Classic Marinara, Premium Crushed Tomato, Creamy Garlic Parmesan, Honey Sriracha, Barbeque and Buffalo as well as sauce drizzles that include Balsamic, Honey Sriracha, Barbeque and Buffalo and crust flavors including Ranch, Smokehouse BBQ, Hut Favorite, Toasted Parmesan, Salted Pretzel, Honey Sriracha, Toasted Asiago, Fiery Red Pepper, Toasted Cheddar and Garlic Buttery Blend.

To make the extra day of dinner decisions easier for those not born on Feb. 29, the $5 Flavor Menu from Pizza Hut features a medium one-topping pizza, eight bone-out WingStreet Wings, the Ultimate HERSHEY'S Chocolate Chip Cookie, HERSHEY'S Triple Chocolate Brownie, Tuscani Pasta, a double order of breadsticks or flavor sticks and four 20-oz. Pepsi beverages for just $5 each when ordering two or more.

Pizza Hut, the first national pizza restaurant company to remove artificial flavors and colors from its core pizzas, has a long heritage of breakthrough food innovation. The company is known around the world for its original Pan, Stuffed Crust, Cheesy Bites Pizzas, and more. The pizza restaurant company also has the world's busiest website in the pizza category at www.pizzahut.com. Nearly 50 percent of the pizza restaurant company's orders come through digital channels, including more than 30 percent via mobile device.

For more information, visit blog.pizzahut.com or to order now, visit www.pizzahut.com.

About Pizza Hut
Pizza Hut, a subsidiary of Yum! Brands, Inc. (NYSE: YUM), delivers more pizza, pasta and wings than any other restaurant in the world. The company began 58 years ago in Wichita, Kansas, when two brothers borrowed $600 from their mom to start a pizzeria.

What started out small has become the biggest pizza company in the world and today operates more than 15,600 restaurants in more than 97 countries serving innovative pizzas, traditional favorites like the signature Pan Pizza, and much more. Pizza Hut also is the proprietor of the BOOK IT! Program, which is a long-standing children's literacy program used in more than 630,000 classrooms nationwide. For more information, visit www.pizzahut.com. Follow Pizza Hut on Facebook (www.facebook.com/PizzaHut), Twitter (www.twitter.com/pizzahut) and Instagram (www.instagram.com/pizzahut).

SOURCE Pizza Hut