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Once, Pizza Hut was the favorite for groups and loved ones to indulge in its all-you-can-eat buffet, endless salad selection, and make-your-own dessert.

Yet not as many diners are frequenting the restaurant currently, and it is shutting down 50% of its UK outlets after being rescued from insolvency for the second time this calendar year.

It was common to visit Pizza Hut when I was a child,” says a young adult. “It was a regular outing, you'd go on a Sunday – make a day of it.” But now, in her mid-twenties, she states “it's not a thing anymore.”

For young customer Martina, some of the very things Pizza Hut has been recognized for since it started in the UK in the mid-20th century are now not-so-hot.

“How they do their buffet and their salad bar, it appears that they are cutting corners and have inferior offerings... They provide so much food and you're like ‘How is that possible?’”

Since food prices have increased significantly, Pizza Hut's all-you-can-eat model has become very expensive to maintain. As have its outlets, which are being sliced from a large number to just over 60.

The chain, like many others, has also seen its operating costs rise. Earlier this year, employee wages jumped due to rises in minimum wages and an rise in employer social security payments.

A couple in their thirties and twenties explain they used to go at Pizza Hut for a date “occasionally”, but now they order in a rival chain and think Pizza Hut is “very overpriced”.

Depending on your choices, Pizza Hut and Domino's costs are comparable, says a culinary author.

Even though Pizza Hut has takeaway and deliveries through external services, it is losing out to larger chains which focus exclusively to off-premise dining.

“The rival chain has taken over the takeaway pizza sector thanks to aggressive marketing and frequent offers that make customers feel like they're saving money, when in reality the base costs are quite high,” says the analyst.

But for the couple it is worth it to get their special meal sent directly.

“We definitely eat at home now instead of we eat out,” explains one of the diners, matching recent statistics that show a drop in people visiting quick-service eateries.

During the summer months, informal dining venues saw a notable decrease in diners compared to last summer.

Additionally, a further alternative to pizza from eateries: the supermarket pizza.

Will Hawkley, head of leisure and hospitality at an advisory group, explains that not only have grocery stores been offering premium oven-ready pizzas for years – some are even promoting home-pizza ovens.

“Evolving preferences are also having an impact in the performance of fast-food chains,” says the expert.

The increased interest of protein-rich eating plans has boosted sales at poultry outlets, while affecting sales of dough-based meals, he notes.

Since people visit restaurants less frequently, they may seek out a more high-quality meal, and Pizza Hut's classic look with vinyl benches and red and white checked plastic table cloths can feel more dated than upmarket.

The “explosion of premium pizza outlets” over the last several years, for example new entrants, has “fundamentally changed the public's perception of what good pizza is,” says the food expert.

“A light, fresh, easy-to-digest product 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 downfall,” she says.

“Why would anyone spend nearly eighteen pounds on a modest, low-quality, underwhelming pizza from a franchise when you can get a beautiful, masterfully-made Margherita for less than ten pounds at one of the many authentic Italian pizzerias around the country?

“The decision is simple.”

A mobile pizza vendor, who owns Smokey Deez based in a county in England comments: “The issue isn’t that lost interest in pizza – they just want improved value.”

Dan says his flexible operation can offer high-quality pie at accessible prices, and that Pizza Hut faced challenges because it was unable to evolve with changing preferences.

From the perspective of an independent chain in Bristol, the proprietor says the sector is broadening but Pizza Hut has not provided anything new.

“There are now by-the-slice options, artisanal styles, thin crust, artisan base, traditional Italian, rectangular – it's a delightful challenge for a pizza enthusiast to try.”

The owner says Pizza Hut “must rebrand” as the youth don't have any emotional connection or loyalty to the chain.

In recent years, Pizza Hut's share has been sliced up and allocated to its fresher, faster competitors. To keep up its expensive staffing and restaurants, it would have to charge more – which commentators say is difficult at a time when personal spending are decreasing.

A senior executive of Pizza Hut's overseas branches said the rescue aimed “to ensure our dining experience and protect jobs where possible”.

He said its key goal was to continue operating at the open outlets and off-premise points and to help employees through the change.

However with large sums going into running its restaurants, it may be unable to allocate significant resources in its off-premise division because the sector is “complex and using existing delivery apps comes at a cost”, analysts say.

But, he adds, cutting its costs by exiting competitive urban areas could be a smart move to evolve.